Three asylum seekers have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the rape of a woman on Brighton beach, with ministers pledging to deport them after their release. Ibrahim Alshafe, 26, an Egyptian national, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, each received 21 years for two counts of rape. Karin Al-Danasurt, 21, also Egyptian, was sentenced to 18 years and six months for four counts of rape as a secondary party by encouraging and filming the attack. All three will serve an additional six years on extended licence.
Attack on Brighton Beach
The victim was targeted in the early hours of October 4 last year after becoming separated from friends. Jurors heard she was “staggering in the street” and “incapacitated” when the men approached. Alshafe and Ahmadi took her behind a beach hut and raped her while Al-Danasurt filmed the ordeal. The trial revealed the woman was spat on, kicked, and had her throat grabbed during the attack.
In a victim impact statement read at Hove Crown Court on Wednesday, the woman said: “They destroyed my life that night, they took something from me nobody had the right to do so. They violated me in every way.”
Sentencing and Judge’s Remarks
Judge Christine Henson KC described the attack as “entirely predatory and callous,” stating each defendant “treated her with contempt and played a role in degrading her in the most appalling way.” Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC called the men “devoid of humanity” and said their treatment of the woman was “entirely predatory, callous and contemptuous,” with an “extreme” impact on her.
The woman added in her statement: “They took something from me that night I’m afraid I will never get back. To not take accountability for their actions (is) like sticking a knife in and twisting it again.” She recalled seeing the man filming and them “laughing at me,” saying: “My skin crawls. No matter how hard I scrub, I still feel dirty.”
Defendants’ Background and Actions
The three men knew each other from Home Office-approved hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in Lower Beeding, near Horsham, West Sussex. Ahmadi and Alshafe arrived in the UK on a small boat from France on June 19, 2025, while Al-Danasurt arrived on October 11, 2024, and shared a room with Alshafe. On the night of October 3, they got ready at the hotel and took a bus to Brighton. A Snapchat video showed them at around 7.30pm, with Ahmadi adjusting a durag on Al-Danasurt, who gestured and smiled while being filmed by Alshafe.
During the night out, they visited a bar and nightclub on the beach, where Alshafe used Google Translate to chat with a woman about his hopes to marry and gain UK citizenship. The prosecution alleged he was a “nasty little predator” who had been rejected by several women and was “on the prowl” with his co-defendants.
Aftermath and Trial
After the attack, the men returned to their hotel by bus and had a barbecue later that evening, around the time the woman was being medically examined. All three denied the crimes through translators during the trial. Alshafe and Ahmadi claimed the encounter was consensual, alleging the woman approached them, kissed and touched them, and led them to the beach. Al-Danasurt claimed he tried to stop the attack by filming it, which the prosecutor called a “pack of lies.” Court footage showed the woman falling while walking with the men and Alshafe smiling, sticking out his tongue, and slapping her face during the attack.
Ms Llewellyn-Waters said their accounts provided “clear and chilling insight into a wholly warped mindset” and a “total lack of remorse.”
Deportation Pledge
Ministers have vowed to deport the men after their sentences. The prosecution noted that the sentencing court should assess risk “without regards to possibility that one day a defendant may be deported.” The case has drawn attention to the UK’s asylum and deportation policies.
