Winchester Crown Court has heard allegations a long-distance athlete who trained alongside Sir Mo Farah deliberately monitored an 18-year-old woman throughout an evening before sexually assaulting her once circumstances isolated her at a Bournemouth bus stop.
Prosecutor Oliver Hirsch told jurors Abdinasir Elmi, 26, “set out that night to have sex with a young woman and did not much mind if she consented,” citing CCTV footage allegedly showing the Somalian runner wandering “aimlessly” whilst observing groups of young women before the 22 April incident.
The teenager had been socialising with her boyfriend and friend in Bournemouth town centre, with plans for her companion’s mother to drive both home—arrangements that collapsed when the parent arrived in a two-seater vehicle capable of transporting only one passenger.
“Whilst all this was going on, it would appear the defendant, Mr Elmi had been watching,” Mr Hirsch stated. “CCTV footage from the town centre shows him standing around looking at the group of young people that were there and not really looking to engage that much with them. It was when [her friend] left in the car and [alleged victim] was on her own that he approached her.”
Elmi allegedly placed his arms around the isolated teenager before leading her past the bus stop toward a secluded bench in Bournemouth Gardens despite her expecting to await public transport.
The prosecution alleges he non-consensually digitally penetrated the complainant and touched her inappropriately, with the victim later telling police: “Mr Elmi came over to her when her friends had left and he told her he would walk her to the bus stop. However, he took her past the bus stop, putting his arm around her, making it so she had to go with him.”
Mr Hirsch described the alleged assault: “He tried to put his fingers inside her, even as she closed her legs to try to stop him. She did manage to eventually kick him off and get away.”
The teenager reported the approximately 10.30pm attack around midnight but initially could not identify her assailant as they were strangers.
Elmi—who required a Somali interpreter during proceedings—denies two sexual assault counts, initially claiming the incident never occurred before revising his defence to assert any interaction was consensual.
Court documents indicate he resided in a Bournemouth migrant hotel, though his current asylum status remains unknown. He has trained with Bournemouth Athletics Club since October 2024, previously spending time alongside elite athletes including Sir Mo Farah and Bashir Abdi according to club records.
The trial continues.
