Three asylum seekers are accused of gang-raping a woman on Brighton beach in the early hours of October 4 last year, according to prosecution allegations. The alleged victim was intoxicated at the time of the incident and had become separated from her friends while on a night out. The defendants are Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, from Egypt, Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, from Iran, and Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, with the prosecution describing the alleged targeting as cynical, predatory, and callous.
Alshafe and Ahmadi are each charged with two counts of physical rape, while Al-Danasurt is charged with four counts of rape by encouraging the incident by filming it, according to the charges. The prosecution alleges that the alleged victim was, to all intents and purposes, incapacitated during the incident. Prosecutors claim that Alshafe and Ahmadi took the complainant behind a beach shack and raped her repeatedly, with Al-Danasurt filming the acts and sending the recordings to Ahmadi's phone.
During the alleged attack, the complainant recalls being spat on, kicked, and her throat being grabbed, according to the alleged victim via the prosecutor. She also remembers men laughing during the incident. After the incident, the alleged victim crawled off the beach, and she told Alshafe to leave her alone when he asked her to unlock her phone, according to prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters.
He's lying.
In cross-examination, the alleged victim said she does not remember leaving the nightclub until waking up on the beach and that Alshafe kept saying 'No touch, no touch' to his friends, according to her testimony. One of the migrants posed smiling and sticking his tongue out on footage of the alleged attack, according to the prosecution. In the footage, Ahmadi covers his face with his hand, possibly trying to avoid being seen on camera, according to prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters.
The woman was staggering in the street alone when approached by the three defendants, according to the prosecution, which argues that Al-Danasurt was present and fully aware of what was happening, allegedly encouraging the rapes. All three defendants knew each other and were residents at Cisswood House Hotel in Horsham, West Sussex, which was Home Office-approved accommodation for asylum seekers, according to research from two sources. Ibrahim Alshafe and Abdulla Ahmadi entered Britain via small boat on June 19 last year, while Karin Al-Danasurt entered the country on Oct 11, 2024, according to research from two sources.
The Home Office confirmed all three men arrived in the UK via small boats and had pending decisions on their asylum claims. The prosecution describes the victim's vulnerability, noting she was staggering alone when approached, and alleges that Al-Danasurt encouraged the rapes by filming them. According to the prosecution, one of the migrants smiled and stuck his tongue out in the footage, which prosecutors cite as evidence of callous behavior.
That's a lie.
The alleged victim's incapacitation and the defendants' actions, as portrayed in court, highlight the predatory nature of the attack, according to the prosecution's arguments. Contradictions exist in the defendants' personal details: Abdulla Ahmadi is listed as 26 years old in some records, but other sources state he is 25 years old. Additionally, while specific arrival dates are provided for Alshafe and Ahmadi on June 19 last year and Al-Danasurt on Oct 11, 2024, some sources only note the defendants arrived via small boats without dates.
Court proceedings have seen delays, with a hearing adjourned on Thursday due to no Kurdish interpreter being available for Mr Ahmadi, according to research from two sources. The three men appeared at Thursday's hearing wearing grey prison jumpers and spoke to confirm their names, according to research from two sources. They will remain in custody ahead of a pre-trial hearing scheduled for December, according to research from two sources.
Sussex Police was called to the incident on the Lower Esplanade at about 05:00 BST on 4 October, according to research from two sources. Several unknowns remain in this case: the exact current status of the defendants' asylum claims is unclear, and what specific evidence, beyond the alleged footage, is being presented by the prosecution has not been detailed. Additionally, the defense arguments or alibis for each of the three accused men are not yet public, and the condition and identity of the alleged victim, including whether she has received support or medical care, are unknown.
Further unknowns include the exact circumstances leading to the alleged victim becoming separated from her friends, which could provide context for her vulnerability. According to Daily Mail - News, the alleged victim described discrepancies in testimony, but the full context of her separation remains unclear.