Woman 'Too Scared to Go Outside' After Alleged Gang Rape on Brighton Beach
A woman allegedly gang-raped on Brighton beach by two asylum seekers while a third filmed the attack told a friend she was 'too scared to go outside' in the aftermath, Hove Crown Court has heard. The distressing details emerged during the ongoing trial, where three defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Night Out Turns to Nightmare
The complainant, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had been enjoying a girls' night out in Brighton when she became heavily intoxicated. After leaving a nightclub, she became separated from her two friends and was found alone and vulnerable. Prosecutors described her as 'staggering in the street' before being targeted in what they termed a 'cynical, predatory and callous' assault.
Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, an Egyptian national, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian national, are accused of repeatedly raping the woman on the beach. Meanwhile, Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, also from Egypt, allegedly encouraged the attack and filmed the horrific incident. All three defendants were living at the Home Office-approved Cisswood House Hotel in Lower Beeding, West Sussex, at the time of the alleged offences.
Graphic Evidence Presented in Court
In a statement read to jurors by prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters, one of the complainant's friends described finding her after the attack with 'mud and dirt going down her legs and on her knees'. The friend noted a cut on the woman's knee that 'looked sore'. When invited to meet the next day, the alleged victim declined, explaining she was 'too scared to go outside'.
The court heard further evidence from a doorman at the Horizon nightclub, who stated he saw the woman leave the venue in a very drunk state, followed by two men. He later observed them touching her inappropriately outside the club and attempted to direct her toward safety. 'I tried to encourage this female to go to Burger King as I thought I saw her friend go there,' he testified.
Family Testimony and Additional Charges
The complainant's sister gave evidence, revealing that when she saw her sibling on October 4, she noticed finger marks on the front of her neck, 'like someone had grabbed her throat.' The alleged victim had previously told jurors she was spat on, grabbed, and held down during the assault.
Al-Danasurt faces an additional charge of 'sharing intimate films' without consent, relating to allegations he sent recordings of the incident to Ahmadi's phone shortly after it occurred. He denies this charge along with four counts of rape as a secondary party. Ahmadi and Alshafe have each denied two counts of rape.
The trial continues as the court examines the harrowing details of this case, which has shocked the local community and raised serious questions about safety and vulnerability in nightlife settings.
