12 March 2026
A migrant faces jail after he exposed his genitals to staff at a taxpayer-funded hotel – bragging he was a ‘strong man’ from Sri Lanka.
Sukirthan Thangrasha, 38, pulled his trousers down twice as he demanded security officers fix his broken phone.
The asylum seeker, who was drunk, grabbed the Highfield House Hotel workers and kicked their behinds before proceeding to reveal his private parts.
A court heard Thangrasha had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault relating to the incident on August 15 last year.
He was found guilty by a jury at Portsmouth Crown Court for exposing his genitals to cause distress.
Prosecutors said Thangrasha’s act of exposure was ‘aggressive, abusive, and demeaning’.
However, the Sri Lankan national has insisted he did not mean to cause ‘distress’.
Thangrasha, who did not deny he revealed his genitals – as there is CCTV evidence – used a Tamil interpreter during court proceedings.
The asylum seeker, who was drunk, grabbed the Highfield House Hotel workers and kicked their behinds before proceeding to reveal his private
Prosecutor Jack Furness said Thangrasha had been staying at the asylum accommodation for several months when the exposure took place.
He said: ‘On the morning of August 15, he came down to the reception area of the accommodation, and he was angry that his phone was not working.
‘He was verbally abusive to members of staff and demanded that they fixed the phone for him.
‘He threw the phone at the reception desk at the same time he said words to the effect of “I am from Sri Lanka. I am a strong man. You small men are from India and Pakistan. You should respect me”.
‘He then pulled his trousers down. The first time he left his underwear on and lifted his top up.
Sri Lankan, 37, is charged with indecent exposure and attacking man after entering UK illegally
‘Staff told him to stop and he did. A short while later, he pulled his trousers down and his underwear.
‘He exposed himself in front of multiple other people.’
Mr Furness added: ‘The defendant accepts exposing his genitals, and you can be sure of that from the CCTV footage.
‘The crown says that you can be sure that he intended someone to see his genitals.
‘What is in issue is the defendant’s intentions. The crown says the defendant exposed himself in the course of being aggressive, abusive, and demeaning to members of staff.
‘His intention must have been to cause them alarm and distress in exposing his genitals. There is no other reason the crown say to behave in that way.’
Mr Furness said Thangrasha had assaulted two different members of staff during the incident, where he grabbed them and kicked them in the bottom.
Thangrasha has already pleaded guilty to these assaults.
Assad Zaman, a security officer working at the hotel at the time of the incident, said the asylum seeker had been staying there for about five months.
He said: ‘He got a bit aggressive as obviously I saw his appearance. He was a bit intoxicated. He was under the impression of alcohol; you could smell that on him.
‘He was constantly trying to bang the desk where the staff were sitting and trying to show aggression.’
Mr Zaman said the staff had told them it was not their job to fix his phone, and they tried to get him to calm down.
He added Thangrasha pulled his trousers down on two occasions, and on the second, he had also pulled his underwear down to expose himself.
Thangrasha, who has previous convictions for assaulting emergency workers, battery and theft, will be sentenced at a later date.
Sri Lankan migrant is facing jail after exposing his genitals to staff at taxpayer-funded hotel https://mol.im/a/15639211