A Moroccan migrant who climbed into a 62-year-old woman’s bed in Ceuta has been ordered to leave the country after being convicted of trespassing.
In a fast-track court hearing on Saturday, the defendant admitted the offence and accepted a two-year prison sentence.
The punishment was immediately replaced with deportation and a five-year ban on re-entering Spain.
The court also imposed a five-year restraining order, preventing him from approaching or contacting the homeowner.
Judicial sources have since confirmed to El Confidencial that the man already had three previous convictions for sexual assault in Spain.
He was also already subject to an administrative deportation order issued by a court in Valencia before his arrest in Ceuta.
According to Spanish news agency EFE, the ruling is believed to be the first criminal conviction linked to the migrants who entered Ceuta during the mass crossings on July 30.
The incident happened shortly before 8am on Friday at an apartment on Paseo de las Palmeras.
The man gained access by climbing from a neighbouring abandoned building onto the victim’s balcony before entering her fifth-floor home.
Rather than attempting to steal anything, he allegedly entered the bedroom wearing only his underwear and climbed into bed beside the sleeping woman.
The victim, Beatriz Ferron, later described waking up believing the man beside her was her husband before realising it was a stranger.
‘I started screaming because I thought it was my husband, and then I saw this man beside me,’ she said.
She added: ‘It could have been my daughter.’
The suspect fled across nearby rooftops after she raised the alarm but was arrested minutes later by National Police officers near the Hotel Puerta de Africa.
The case has intensified public concern in Ceuta following the unprecedented migrant crisis that saw more than 70,000 people cross into the Spanish enclave from Morocco at the end of July.
Ceuta’s regional president, Juan Jesus Vivas, has warned that thousands of irregular migrants remain in the city, placing severe pressure on public services and leaving many residents feeling increasingly vulnerable.
Authorities are also preparing for the possibility of another attempted mass crossing after intelligence reports suggested a fresh surge could be organised for August 15.
