Three asylum seekers are standing trial at Hove Crown Court for allegedly raping a woman on Brighton Beach. Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, from Egypt, Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, from Iran, and Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, also from Egypt, deny the charges. The prosecution describes the incident as 'cynical, predatory and callous.'
Key Takeaways
Three asylum seekers are standing trial at Hove Crown Court for allegedly raping a woman on Brighton Beach. They deny charges, with the prosecution describing the incident as predatory.
- Three men charged with rape after alleged attack on Brighton Beach
- Defendants claim encounter was consensual; prosecutor argues it was predatory
- CCTV shows one defendant grabbing a friend of the complainant before being rebuffed
- All three were residents at a Home Office-approved hotel for asylum seekers
According to Daily Mail, Alshafe testified that the woman approached them, kissed Ahmadi, and groped his genitals before doing the same to him. He claimed they had consensual sex behind a beach shack after she invited them for sex. Alshafe also stated he was a virgin before the incident.
However, BBC reports that prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC argued that Alshafe and his co-defendants targeted the woman when she was vulnerable and alone. She described their actions as using and abusing her for sexual gratification, treating her like 'trash.' CCTV footage showed Ahmadi grabbing a friend of the complainant's waist in Revolution Club before being rebuffed.
The court heard that all three men were residents at a Home Office-approved hotel for asylum seekers near Horsham. Alshafe and Ahmadi arrived in the UK by small boats in June 2025, while Al-Danasurt arrived in September 2024. The trial continues as both sides present their evidence.
In his defence, Alshafe said they had gone to the beach to have sex. 'She was in agreement.... she was enjoying it,' he stated. The court previously saw footage of three recordings taken by Al-Danasurt during the alleged attack, including one of Alshafe slapping the woman in the face. He repeated his defence that he was 'playing with her.'
The prosecutor said that the woman spoke to her friends minutes after leaving the three men. She was described as 'wailing and hysterical saying she has been raped,' Llewellyn-Waters said. Jurors have been told the woman had become separated from her friends on a night out.
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