A foreign student who sexually assaulted seven victims claimed he was upset at the way Australian women dressed and behaved, a court has heard.
Libyan masters student Almahde Ahmad Atagore, 28, was this morning jailed for at least three years over the assaults in August and September last year.
He had been in the country only a month, on a sponsorship funded by his government.
But County Court Judge Margaret Rizkalla said Atagore wasn’t prepared for the cultural differences and felt isolated and depressed.
He indecently assaulted two teenagers leaving the Mentone Hotel, laughing at them afterwards.
Atagore returned another night to attack two more outside the same pub.
Two more victims, including a 13-year-old girl, were assaulted as they used escalators at Flinders St station.
Another, 17, was attacked outside Mentone train station.
Atagore was identified in footage from Flinders St and cameras outside the hotel, but when confronted by police denied he had molested the victims.
Judge Rizkalla said he struggled to adapt to Australian life, without a mosque nearby and with little support.
Atagore told a psychiatrist he was upset at the way local women dressed and behaved, leaving him feeling both angry and aroused.
But he now felt shame and regret for his crimes, the judge said.
She said Atagore was suffering from an adjustment disorder, which contributed to his offending, and would face a hard time in prison with his poor grasp of English.
But the attacks happened in public places and had left the victims fearful of public transport, robbing them of security and independence.
Several of the victims were in court and welcomed the maximum sentence of five years and three months, with at least three years to serve before being eligible for parole.
Atagore pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault, one of assault with intent to rape and one of committing an indecent act with a child.
Police were unable to check his criminal past due to unrest in Libya.
But Sen-Det Dion Achtypis said outside court that Atagore’s nationality was not a factor in his crimes.
“There are many, many overseas students in this country who are law-abiding citizens,” he said.