A teenager who was sexually assaulted by an illegal immigrant has called for him to be deported. Iranian, Ahmadreza Khalafi, 29, attacked Abbie Johnson, 19, in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, on May 3 last year.

Miss Johnson was on her own in bushes playing hide and seek with friends at 2.50am when Khalafi approached her. The ordeal lasted 10 minutes and was captured on CCTV, which was being monitored by a security guard who spotted the attack and alerted police. Officers arrested Khalafi within minutes.

He had arrived in the UK from Iran in a lorry in July 2024 and was living in Thornbera Gardens in the town.

Khalafi, on December 2, pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual touching and was detained ahead of sentencing on Thursday (February 5).

He was sentenced at St Albans Crown Court to four-and-a-half years with three years on extended licence. He is also subject to a 10 year restraining order.

Miss Johnson said she welcomed the sentence, adding: "It is brilliant... to watch him go away and be sent off, that was the best feeling. I felt like I had that control back."

She told GB News: "I don't feel safe with him here and this is my home country so I believe he should be deported for me to feel safe.

"Obviously, it's still a horrible thing. I'm still going to have all this, but what I've got to think is, I've done it. I've fought for it. I got him sent away. He's punished for what he's done to me."

Joe Davidson, defending Khalafi, said his client had refugee status and was a Christian who fled persecution. He added Khalafi had very little formal education and cultural understanding of what is an acceptable way to behave in England.

Mr Davidson told the court: "He is mortified by his actions. All he wants to do is go to work, go home and lead a quiet life."

Pre-sentence reports drawn up by the police described Khalafi as posing a high risk of causing women sexual harm.

Judge Jonathan Mann, sentencing Khalafi, said: "I'm not entirely persuaded you don't know the difference between right and wrong.

It doesn't matter your background; anyone would know not to go up to a helpless woman and sexually assault them. That's not right anywhere."

A Home Office spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "We welcome this judgement and our thoughts are with the victim of this abhorrent crime.

"We will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws. We are reforming human rights laws and replacing the broken appeals system so we can scale up deportations.

"All Foreign National Offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity."

In total, 5,430 foreign national offenders were returned in the year ending October 2025, according to the Government.