An asylum seeker who tried to rape a woman in an alley said he could not have done so because he had a 'micropenis'.

Hossein Mohmoudi, 35, was found guilty of the attack last week despite arguing that his short penis and obesity meant he was unable to have sex.

The Iranian had racked up five criminal convictions in Germany before he came to Britain and claimed asylum after captaining a small boat across the Channel.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how, while living in an asylum hostel in London, Mohmoudi had stalked the woman for an hour as she made her way home from a Christmas party in 2024.

He followed her for three miles, from Whitechapel to Stratford, even getting on the same bus. The attack was interrupted after 27 seconds by a cyclist, who the victim said had 'saved' her. The jury was told that an array of medical factors, including Mohmoudi's 'micropenis' and low libido – brought on by smoking, depression and obesity – meant he could not have attacked the woman. The court also heard that Mohmoudi, who was sentenced to ten months for piloting the migrant boat across the Channel, had previously been reported to police for stalking a woman as she walked her dog.

Prosecutor Christiaan Moll said Mohmoudi, who left Iran in 2014, had entered four countries illegally – Turkey, Greece, Germany and France – before coming to Britain. He was convicted twice of assault and three times of criminal damage while in Germany.

'You don't have any respect for the law, do you, Mr Mohmoudi?' Mr Moll asked him in court.

Footage was shown to the court of Mohmoudi following his victim, crossing roads when she did. The actual assault was hidden from view by a gate but the jury heard her scream, 'Wait! Wait! Wait! F*** you! Back off! F*** off! F***!'

Mohmoudi ran off when the cyclist intervened.

Speaking through an interpreter, Mohmoudi admitted that on the day before the attack he was chatting on a fetish website because it was 'helpful for my English language'. Mr Moll responded: 'There are other ways to improve your English...'

David Harounoff, defending Mohmoudi, claimed that 27 seconds was too short a time for him to attempt rape due to his alleged medical issues.

But the victim said the attack had happened 'so fast you couldn't even think'.

Consultant urologist Dr George Fowlis told the court that Mohmoudi's penis was 'normal'.

The jury also heard that Mohmoudi had received an email from a sperm bank about his application to donate. He will be sentenced next month.