23.07.2026 14:00
Eritrean asylum seeker Abdoela Berhan, who was found to have knocked out 20-year-old Cleo Lake with a single punch and broken her nose after she refused his approach outside a nightclub in England, was sentenced to 6 months in prison. Berhan claimed self-defense, but this argument was rejected by the court. The victim's mother deemed the sentence insufficient. The UK Home Office stated that steps would be taken to deport the convict after he serves his sentence.
The attack in Bournemouth, England, sparked outrage in the country. Abdoela Berhan, a 35-year-old asylum seeker of Eritrean origin, knocked out 20-year-old Cleo Lake with a single punch after she rejected his attempt to approach her outside a nightclub. Following the incident, which was captured on security camera, Berhan was sentenced to six months in prison.
ATTACKED AFTER REJECTION
The incident occurred in the early hours of December 7, 2024. Cleo Lake, who was leaving a nightclub with friends, became uncomfortable when Berhan approached them while she was eating. The young woman told him to go away and pushed him. Berhan was then seen first kicking and then punching the young woman hard. Lake fell to the ground unconscious, breaking her nose from the impact of the punch. The attacker fled the scene.
CLAIMED "SELF-DEFENSE"
Berhan, who was later apprehended, defended himself in court, claiming that the young woman tried to intimidate him and that he acted in self-defense.
The judge, however, noted that the security camera footage did not support this defense and concluded that Berhan assaulted the young woman solely because his advance was rejected.
VICTIM'S LIFE CHANGED
Cleo Lake, who suffered a broken nose in the attack, recounted that she could not go out for a long time afterward and feels unsafe in environments with men.
The young woman said, "Even though a year and a half has passed, I still can't go out at night without a large group or a man with us. I constantly feel like something bad is going to happen."
MOTHER CRITICIZED THE SENTENCE
Helen O'Brien, the mother who found the six-month prison sentence insufficient, stated that her daughter's trauma lasted for months, saying, "Six months doesn't seem enough. My daughter still hasn't regained her old cheerfulness. I still cry when I think about the footage."
PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED FOR VIOLENCE
It emerged that Berhan had also been convicted shortly before the attack for spitting on and assaulting staff at a Subway restaurant in Bournemouth.
The UK Home Office announced that it will consider the necessary procedures for deporting the foreign national convict after he completes his sentence.