A single devastating blow changed everything for 20-year-old Cleo Lake. On a cold December night in 2024, what began as a carefree evening at Bournemouth’s Cameo nightclub ended with her lying unconscious on the pavement, her face swollen and her nose broken. The man responsible, 35-year-old Eritrean asylum seeker Abdoela Berhan, delivered the punch then sprinted away, leaving her friends to rush to her aid. Months later, despite convictions and multiple arrest warrants, Berhan remains at large, his whereabouts unknown.

The CCTV footage released by prosecutors is brutally clear. Outside the club, Cleo and her friends were eating takeaway when Berhan approached uninvited. He crowded their space. When Cleo firmly told him to leave and pushed him back, tensions exploded. Berhan aimed a kick at her. She responded. Then, without hesitation, he swung his left arm and connected with full force to her face. Cleo dropped instantly. Instead of staying or helping, Berhan turned and fled into the darkness.

Cleo’s injuries were immediate and visible: a broken nose and severe bruising that left her with a black eye. But the deeper scars have lingered far longer. In her victim impact statement at Poole Magistrates’ Court, she revealed how the assault stole her confidence. Nights out that once brought joy now fill her with anxiety. “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,” she explained. “Because I have the thought that something bad will kick off.” She feels uneasy around men she doesn’t know and has drastically reduced her social life.

When Berhan was eventually located and questioned, he claimed self-defence. The court saw it differently. Judge Orla Austin, after reviewing the evidence including the damning video, found him guilty of assault in his absence. He had already failed to appear, triggering warrants for his arrest. Police confirmed that enquiries continue, yet as of May 2026, Berhan has evaded capture despite three active warrants.

This nightclub attack was not an isolated incident. Just one week earlier, in late November 2024, Berhan had been involved in another violent outburst at a Subway restaurant in Bournemouth. Upset after staff asked him to leave for aggressive behaviour, he spat at and kicked employee Sahjan Chowdhury before fleeing. Later the same day, he brazenly returned to the same store — this time as a Just Eat delivery driver collecting orders. He was also convicted of criminal damage to a police cell. Those convictions came in his absence too.

At the time of both offences, Berhan was residing at the taxpayer-funded Britannia migrant hotel. The location has previously drawn local protests and scrutiny over its role in housing asylum claimants, some with emerging criminal records. Critics argue that cases like this expose gaps in monitoring and swift justice for individuals whose claims are still being processed or have been rejected.

Cleo’s mother sat in court and gasped audibly when the footage played, a raw moment that captured the horror many viewers felt when the clip later circulated online. Cleo herself described watching the video as “hard to watch” yet chose to give evidence bravely despite the trauma. Her frustration is clear: “It is really frustrating knowing he still hasn’t been picked up. 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.”

The case has reignited broader conversations about public safety in nightlife areas, the vetting of asylum seekers, and the effectiveness of the UK’s immigration and criminal justice systems. Bournemouth, a popular coastal destination, has seen multiple incidents linked to individuals from migrant hotels, leaving residents and visitors uneasy. Young women in particular have voiced concerns about feeling vulnerable after dark. While most asylum seekers integrate peacefully, high-profile failures like this one fuel calls for faster deportations of convicted offenders and tighter oversight of hotel accommodations.

Legal experts point out that trials in absence are used when defendants abscond, but enforcement remains challenging. With Berhan convicted on multiple counts yet free, questions persist about tracking mechanisms for those housed at public expense. The Home Office continues to face pressure over asylum backlogs, especially from countries like Eritrea where returns are difficult.

For Cleo Lake, the wait for closure continues. A night meant for laughter and dancing became a defining trauma. Friends who witnessed the punch still replay the moment. The community watches social media shares of the CCTV, hoping renewed attention will finally lead police to Berhan. Until he is caught, the fear remains that one man’s evasion could endanger others enjoying a simple night out.

This story is more than one assault — it is a snapshot of tensions playing out in towns across Britain. Ordinary people seeking safety and enjoyment. A justice system struggling to close the loop. And a perpetrator whose freedom raises uncomfortable questions about accountability in an overstretched system. As Dorset Police maintain “enquiries are ongoing,” Cleo and many others hope the next update brings an arrest rather than another headline.