Kebatu attempted to kiss the girl and placed his hand on her thigh, before asking her to kiss another child as he watched, the trial heard.

A woman who later intervened said Kebatu “took advantage of my kindness” when he placed his hand on her thigh as she tried to help him with his CV.

She called the police when she later saw Kebatu go and speak to the girl and her friends.

Kebatu insisted during his three-day trial he was “not a wild animal”, adding: “I can’t do these kind of things, this is anti-Christian – these are just children, innocent children.”

But sentencing him, District Judge Christopher Williams said: “You seeked to portray yourself as a victim and that you’d been made to be a scapegoat.”

The judge said Kebatu had tried to take his own life in prison, having been aware his offending caused “mass demonstrations” in the UK.

“He says because of the situation, Epping was in chaos and he’d got a lot of other migrants in trouble,” prosecutor Stuart Cowen said.

“There was also comments made by Mr Kebatu where he states that he didn’t know how strict the UK was.”

During the trial, a child witness claimed to have heard Kebatu telling the girl and her friend “come back to Africa, you would be a good wife” on 7 July.

Kebatu had seen them eating pizza in Epping town centre and invited them back to The Bell Hotel.

“Out of nowhere, he said: ‘I want one baby from you and one baby from your friend’,” the girl told police.

Kebatu was seen telling her she was pretty and attempting to kiss her on a bench the following day, before placing his hand on her thigh.

She told detectives she “froze” during the encounter and told Kebatu “no, I’m 14”, but claimed he responded “age did not matter”.

The judge added: “It must’ve been abundantly clear to you that your behaviour was unwanted.”

Kebatu was overheard telling the girls he paid €2,500 (£2,155) to arrive in the UK on a “rubber dinghy”, the court heard.

At the trial, he gave his date of birth as December 1986, making him 38, but court records suggested he was 41.

Giving evidence, Kebatu told the judge he was a “teacher of sports” in Ethiopia and described children as “the future of tomorrow, the new generation”.

However, the judge said he posed a “significant risk of reoffending” and that he became “visibly aroused” by asking the girl to kiss another child.

Judge Williams said Kebatu then “acted ignorantly and repulsively” when he sexually assaulted the woman who tried to help him, who later saw him troubling the children.

“She is a confident woman who rightly stood up for herself and, just as importantly, stood up for those more vulnerable than her.”

The assistant chief constable of Essex Police, Stuart Hooper, said the victims showed bravery in securing Kebatu’s conviction.

He said: “They came forward and trusted us with their experience and today I want to say a personal thank you to them for their courage.”