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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Epping migrant hotel resident charged with sexual assault | Epping migrant hotel resident charged with sexual assault |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A man living at The Bell Hotel faces charges of sexual assault and assault | |
| A man living at a hotel that has been the focus of a series of anti-migrant protests has been charged with sexual assault. | |
| Mohammed Sharwarq, 32, a Syrian national living at The Bell Hotel, Epping, Essex, also faced two counts of common assault and four of assault by beating - concerning four complainants - at a hearing before magistrates in Chelmsford on Wednesday. | |
| Essex Police said the offences were alleged to have taken place between 25 July and 12 August. | Essex Police said the offences were alleged to have taken place between 25 July and 12 August. |
| He was arrested on Tuesday and remanded in custody. Officers said they were not seeking any other suspects in relation to the case. | He was arrested on Tuesday and remanded in custody. Officers said they were not seeking any other suspects in relation to the case. |
| The BBC understands the alleged offences took place within the Bell Hotel. | |
| The hotel has been used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers, and has been the scene of a number of protests in recent weeks. | The hotel has been used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers, and has been the scene of a number of protests in recent weeks. |
| Dr Neil Hudson, Conservative MP for Epping Forest, said: "I am deeply concerned by reports that a resident of the Bell Hotel has been charged with multiple assaults, including an offence of a sexual nature. | |
| "I have contacted the Home Office urgently, requesting further information and calling for reassurances on management and safeguarding." | |
| He said he had also been liaising with Essex Police and had written to the Home Secretary calling for the hotel to be "immediately closed for community safety". | |
| The BBC has contacted the Home Office for comment. | |
| Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. | Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. |