Three asylum seekers have been jailed for repeatedly raping a woman on Brighton beach in a case that a judge described as an 'entirely predatory and callous attack.' Egyptian nationals Ibrahim Alshafe, 26, and Karin Al-Danasurt, 21, along with Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, were sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Wednesday.
Sentences handed down
Alshafe and Ahmadi each received 21-year prison sentences for two counts of rape, while Al-Danasurt was sentenced to 18 years and six months for four counts of rape as a secondary party, having filmed the assault. All three men will serve an additional six years on extended licence upon release, the court heard.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was attacked in the early hours of 4 October last year after being found 'staggering in the street' and 'incapacitated,' according to prosecutors. Alshafe and Ahmadi led her behind a beach hut, where they carried out the assault while Al-Danasurt filmed it.
Victim impact
In a victim impact statement, the woman told the court: 'They destroyed my life that night, they took something from me nobody had the right to do so. They violated me in every way.' She added that when she closes her eyes, she sees the man filming and them laughing at her. 'My skin crawls. No matter how hard I scrub it, I still feel dirty,' she said.
Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC condemned the men as 'devoid of humanity,' describing their treatment of the victim as 'entirely predatory, callous and contemptuous.' She said the devastating impact on the woman was 'extreme.'
Background of the defendants
The three defendants were acquainted and had been living in Home Office-approved hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in Lower Beeding, near Horsham, West Sussex. Ahmadi and Alshafe first met aboard a small vessel crossing from France, arriving in the UK on 19 June 2025. Alshafe and Al-Danasurt shared a room at the hotel; Al-Danasurt had entered the UK on 11 October 2024.
On the evening of 3 October, the trio prepared at the hotel and boarded a bus into Brighton. Snapchat footage showed them in front of a mirror at around 7.30pm, with Ahmadi adjusting a durag on Al-Danasurt, who grinned and gestured at the camera while being filmed by Alshafe.
Events leading to the attack
The group visited a bar and nightclub on the beach, where Alshafe used Google Translate to speak to a woman, expressing his desire to marry, start a family, and secure UK citizenship. Prosecutors described him as a 'nasty little predator' who had been rebuffed by multiple women that night and was 'on the prowl' with his co-defendants.
After the assault, the men returned to their hotel by bus and held a barbecue later that evening, around the time the victim was undergoing a medical examination. During the trial, all three denied the charges, with Alshafe and Ahmadi claiming the encounter was consensual. Al-Danasurt said he filmed the assault in an attempt to stop it, a claim the prosecutor dismissed as a 'pack of lies.'
Judge's remarks
Judge Christine Henson KC stated: 'Each of you participated in an entirely predatory and callous attack on a female separated from her friends after what had been a fun night out for her. You each treated her with contempt and you each played a role in degrading her in the most appalling way.'
The prosecution urged the court to assess the risk posed by the defendants 'without regard to the possibility that one day a defendant may be deported.' Government ministers have pledged to deport the men after sentencing.
