Overview
- The Winchester Crown Court jury, which returned its decision Monday after about seven hours, found Abdinasir Elmi not guilty on both sexual-assault counts.
- Judge Paul Dugdale told him to be processed and released following the verdict.
- Prosecutors alleged intimate touching without consent in Bournemouth Gardens, while Elmi testified the encounter was consensual and started with the woman kissing him.
- At the time of the alleged incident on April 22, 2025, the 26-year-old Somali asylum seeker was staying at the Roundhouse Hotel in Bournemouth and preparing for a 10km race as a member of Bournemouth Athletics Club.
- A not-guilty verdict means jurors decided prosecutors had not proved the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, and the coverage does not indicate further proceedings on this case.