Moment violent Eritrean asylum seeker knocks young woman unconscious with single punch after she rejected his advances - as he remains on run

By ROBERT FOLKER, NEWS REPORTER Published: 10:24, 14 May 2026 | Updated: 10:28, 14 May 2026 This is the moment a violent asylum seeker knocks a young woman unconscious with a single punch after she and her friends rejected him. Abdoela Berhan, an Eritrean national, was outside a nightclub in Bournemouth when he sat next to Cleo Lake, 21, and her two friends and tried to put his arm around one of them after they left. Miss Lake, who was 20 years old at the time of the incident, told him to 'f*** off' and pushed him away when he made his advancement. Berhan, 35, aimed a kick at her and Miss Lake retaliated with a kick of her own, and that is when the hotel migrant pulled his left arm back and swung a fist at her face. Miss Lake described the footage as 'hard to watch', and her mum gasped loudly in court as she saw the moment her daughter was assaulted.  The footage shows Miss Lake falling to the ground and then not moving before Berhan runs off. When he was later arrested Berhan, whose address was given as the taxpayer-funded Britannia Hotel migrant hotel, claimed he acted in self-defence. He failed to turn up for court but was found guilty of the assault, just a week after he was convicted of attacking a Subway worker in another incident. Abdoela Berhan, 35, was found guilty of the assault just one week after being convicted for attacking a Subway worker. Berhan then faced a third trial for criminal damage to a police cell, which he was also found guilty in his absence. Berhan remains at large, with police saying only that 'enquiries are ongoing' This is the moment Cleo Lake was knocked unconscious after rejecting Berhan's advances outside a nightclub in Bournemouth Miss Lake sustained a black eye and a broken nose from the attack, which she says left her frightened to go out  Berhan then faced a third trial for criminal damage to a police cell, which he was also found guilty in his absence. Despite there being three separate warrants out for his arrest, Berham remains at large, with police saying only that 'enquiries are ongoing'. Miss Lake, who suffered a broken nose in the attack, said it's 'really frustrating' that he still hasn't been caught. The waitress and bartender said: 'I know how slow the police are with things, it doesn't feel like they are trying very hard. 'I don't know if he will end up getting what he deserves. And it's quite scary knowing he's probably still out there, maybe still in the area.' Her mother said she thought he had disappeared and police will never find him. The incident happened in the early hours of December 7, 2024. Miss Lake and her friends had been to the Cameo nightclub and were outside eating some food when Berhan approached them. She told Poole Magistrates' Court: 'He tried to sit down with us, I got uncomfortable because none of us knew who he was, it was dark and there was no one else around. 'I told him to f*** off and he didn't like it. 'We were arguing, swearing at each other and he got rather close so I shoved him back.  'He turned around and kicked me, but missed, then I kicked him.' Miss Lake (pictured) said it's 'really frustrating' that he still hasn't been caught and it's 'scary knowing he's probably still out there' Berhan then delivered his 'forceful' punch, which left Miss Lake unconscious for around five minutes. Miss Lake was taken to hospital by ambulance but went home after waiting four hours to be seen. When she later went to the GP about fixing her crooked nose, they said it had definitely been broken in the assault. Miss Lake said: 'After I didn't go out for a while. I got quite a bit of bad anxiety around men, I just felt really uncomfortable around them. 'Even now, a year and a half later, I won't go out clubbing unless there's a lot of us or someone's boyfriend is there, for protection.  'Because I have the thought that something bad will kick off.' Berhan told police after his arrest that he didn't do it with any intention of assaulting her and it was a reaction to being pushed. He said he saw her stumble, and he walked off. Judge Orla Austin said she was satisfied Berhan was guilty of assault and made a warrant for his arrest. She added: 'Prison is very much in the forefront of my mind'. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. 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