By Lucy Caulkett-
A man described by a sheriff as “predatory” has been jailed for four years after sexually assaulting two women who were walking home alone in Falkirk during the early hours of the morning.
Muhammad Sheikhi, 23, was sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court after being found guilty of sexually assaulting the two women during a series of attacks in the Scottish town on 30 November 2025. He had been staying at the Hotel Cladhan in Falkirk at the time.
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The victims, both in their early 20s, had been returning home separately after nights out in the town centre when they were approached by Sheikhi. The court heard that he targeted the first woman near a railway bridge on Kerse Lane, where he hugged her, repeatedly kissed her on the face and mouth and put his hands beneath her skirt.
He then went on to target a second woman in Kerse Lane and at the nearby Bellsmeadow skate park. Sheikhi pinned the woman against a tree before putting his hands beneath her clothing, the court heard.
Sheriff Keith O’Mahony said the circumstances demonstrated that the attacks were not spontaneous but represented deliberate behaviour directed towards women who were alone.
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“In my assessment, these [offences] were not a spontaneous act,” the sheriff said. “These were deliberate and predatory sexual assaults against strangers who had every right to walk home in safety.”
The court heard that Sheikhi denied wrongdoing and told police that he had simply been “roaming around” because he did not have anyone to socialise with at his hotel.
However, following a four-day trial at Stirling Sheriff Court, he was found guilty of both charges in May. The jury did not convict him of an additional allegation that he had intended to rape one of the women, after that part of the charge was deleted.
During the trial, prosecutor Jamie Hilland argued that there were striking similarities between the two incidents and that Sheikhi had acted deliberately when approaching both women.
Mr Hilland said the evidence showed that Sheikhi approached each woman and attempted to establish contact before escalating his behaviour. In both incidents, the court heard, he tried to give the women his phone and encouraged them to add him on Snapchat before cornering them and sexually assaulting them.
The prosecutor described his behaviour as “predatory” and said the similarities between the two incidents were compelling.
The attacks left both women deeply distressed. One victim contacted her father shortly afterwards, with the court hearing that she was so distressed that she could barely speak or breathe.
Her father told the court that he struggled to understand what she was saying during the call before she explained that she had been sexually assaulted at the railway bridge. She told him that a man had put his hand under her skirt and attempted to kiss her.
The impact of the attacks was central to the prosecution’s case, with both women having been alone while simply attempting to make their way home after an evening in Falkirk town centre.
The sentencing judge emphasised that they had every right to expect to be able to walk home safely without being targeted.
Sheikhi’s defence lawyer, Paul Keenan, told the court that his client was a Syrian refugee who had fled what he described as the “terror of ISIS”. Despite the guilty verdicts, Sheikhi continued to maintain his innocence.
The court ultimately imposed a four-year prison sentence. Sheikhi was also placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and prohibited from contacting either of his victims for 10 years.
Procurator Fiscal Helen Nisbet said the case demonstrated the consequences of targeting women who were alone and vulnerable.
“Muhammad Sheikhi targeted two young women who were simply trying to get home safely, and subjected them to deeply distressing sexual assaults,” she said.
“These were deliberate acts against two victims who were alone and vulnerable. Their courage in coming forward has enabled him to be held accountable for his crimes.”
The sentence brings the case to a conclusion after months of investigation and legal proceedings, but the court heard evidence of the lasting distress caused by the assaults.
The case also highlights the importance of victims coming forward following sexual offences, particularly when attacks take place in public spaces and during the early hours when people may be travelling home alone.
The sheriff’s description of the offences as deliberate and predatory reflected the court’s assessment of Sheikhi’s conduct towards two strangers on the same night. While the jury rejected the additional allegation concerning an intention to rape, he was convicted of sexually assaulting both women.
Sheikhi will now serve his four-year sentence in custody and remain subject to indefinite registration as a sex offender. He is also legally barred from contacting his victims for a decade.For the two women involved, the court proceedings have provided a formal recognition of what happened to them and resulted in Sheikhi being held criminally accountable for the offences of which he was convicted.
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