An Iraqi immigrant who said he was gay when claiming asylum in Austria has been jailed for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl at a swimming pool.

Appearing in court this week, the 36-year-old insisted that he is homosexual and that the contact with the child was his first experience of a sexual relationship with the opposite sex.

He reportedly came to Austria 13 years ago and had no previous convictions before he was arrested over the attack on the schoolgirl in the changing rooms of the public swimming pool in the Huetteldorf area of Vienna.

The 36-year-old Iraqi was arrested after the attack on the schoolgirl in the changing rooms of the public swimming pool in the Huetteldorf area of Vienna (pictured), Austria last year

The attack happened in July last year where he met an old friend who was with her daughter, and they spent the afternoon and the evening together.

The woman was a single parent, and according to the girl when he was visiting, he had sexually assaulted her and then told her not to say anything to her mother.

The next day they had arranged to go swimming together, where he carried out another assault.

When quizzed by the court he claimed that the girl seemed much older than she really was.

He said that the incident was the first time that he had had any experience of a sexual relationship with the opposite sex, and that he had no idea why the idea had come into his head. He told the court: 'It just happened'.

He said: 'I thought she looked so big, I thought she must be at least 17 or 18.'

A lawyer acting for the victim said that she had to receive psychological counselling because of the sex attack.

As well as being jailed for 15 months, with 10 months suspended, he was also ordered to pay her more than £1,500 in compensation.

He was also ordered to attend a psychotherapy course designed and ordered to avoid any contact with children.



