Sri Lankan man found guilty of exposing himself to staff at asylum seeker hotel in UK

A Sri Lankan man has been found guilty of indecent exposure after he assaulted two hotel staff members at an asylum seeker hotel in Southampton, England. Sukirthan Thangrasha, 38, from Sri Lanka, faced trial at Portsmouth Crown Court for one count of exposure following the incident at Highfield House Hotel on August 15, 2025. The jury learned that Thangrasha, who used a Tamil interpreter in court, had already pleaded guilty to two assault charges against the staff. Jack Furness, the prosecutor, explained that the trouble started when Thangrasha went to the hotel reception. He was upset because his phone was not working. He became verbally aggressive and eventually pulled down his trousers. Furness stated, “At that time, the defendant was staying in accommodation for asylum seekers. He came down to the reception area, angry about his phone not working. He verbally abused the staff and demanded they fix his phone, even throwing the phone at the reception desk. He said something like, ‘I am from Sri Lanka, you small men are from India and Pakistan, you should respect me.’” Staff members attempted to calm him down. Thangrasha approached a plant pot and tried to pull the plant out before he lowered his trousers. Initially, he left his underwear on but lifted his shirt to show his torso while walking around. The staff asked him to stop, and he eventually pulled his trousers back up. However, a short time later, he pulled down his trousers and underwear, exposing himself to those nearby. He revealed his genitals in front of multiple people present at the hotel.