Three Asylum Seekers Convicted of Brighton Beach Rape, Victim Left Terrified

Three men have been found guilty of raping a woman on Brighton beach in a "cynical, predatory and callous attack." Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi and Egyptian national Ibrahim Alshafe had denied repeatedly raping the woman in the early hours of 4 October. Karin Al-Danasurt, also from Egypt, denied filming the ordeal but was convicted of rape as a secondary party.

Ahmadi, 26, Alshafe, 25, and Al-Danasurt, 20, all asylum seekers, were convicted at Hove Crown Court. Jurors heard the victim was left "too scared to go out" after the attack. The men were residing at a Home Office hotel near Horsham at the time.

Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC stated that Al-Danasurt's "puerile contempt," Alshafe's "predatory nature," and Ahmadi's "selfish entitlement" converged to create the incident. The court heard the men targeted the woman after she became separated from friends while highly intoxicated. She testified that the men laughed, kicked her, and grabbed her throat during the rape. Al-Danasurt was accused of spitting in the woman's face while recording.

All three men have had their asylum applications refused and are currently appealing those decisions.