Three men have been found guilty of repeatedly raping a woman on Brighton beach in what the judge described as a “cynical, predatory and callous” attack. The victim became separated from her friends on a night out and was targeted while incapacitated in the early hours of 4 October last year.
Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, an Egyptian national, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, were convicted of two counts of rape at Hove Crown Court. Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, also Egyptian, was found guilty of four counts of rape as a secondary party for encouraging and filming the attack. All three are seeking asylum in the UK.
During the trial, the court heard that two of the men took the woman behind a beach hut and raped her, while the third filmed the ordeal. Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC told jurors: “To these defendants, the complainant was meat. They wanted sex and that could be achieved by being with someone who was in no state to resist them.”
The victim gave evidence from behind a screen, saying: “It wasn’t consensual, they are evil and they have ruined my life.” She added that she sees the filmer’s face “every time I close my eyes, laughing at me.”
Border Security and Asylum Minister Alex Norris confirmed the Home Office will seek to deport the men once they are sentenced. The defendants, who were living in Home Office-approved asylum accommodation near Horsham, West Sussex, showed no reaction as the verdicts were delivered after more than 16 hours of jury deliberation.
