Asylum seekers ‘gang-raped vulnerable woman on beach as she made her way home from night out, with one filming ordeal’, trial told
Asylum seekers ‘gang-raped vulnerable woman on beach as she made her way home from night out, with one filming ordeal’, trial told
A woman described as ‘extremely vulnerable’ was subjected to a group rape by three asylum seekers, who laughed and spat at her while capturing the traumatic event on camera, according to court testimony. The incident occurred near Brighton beach during her return from a social outing.
Details of the alleged assault
The victims, identified as a woman in her thirties, was reportedly left bloodied and semi-conscious after the attack. Mobile phone footage appears to show one of her alleged attackers posing for the camera and displaying a smug expression. Prosecutors claimed the defendants treated her as a ‘receptacle’ for their sexual desires, exploiting her state of vulnerability.
“Instead of offering her help or even just leaving her be, these defendants targeted her. And that targeting was not founded in good will or bonhomie, high spirits – it was cynical, predatory and callous,” stated Hanna Llewellyn-Waters, leading the prosecution.
The woman had been separated from her companion during the assault. She was reportedly intoxicated after several hours of drinking with friends and could barely maintain her balance. Prosecutors suggested she might have been drugged earlier at the Horizon nightclub, though she declined to take any offered substances.
Accusations against the defendants
Two of the three accused are charged with physical rape, while the third is alleged to have orchestrated the attacks and shared intimate videos. Iranian Abdulla Amih Ahmadi, 26, and Egyptian Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, are accused of raping the woman twice. Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, an Egyptian national from Lower Beeding, is also facing charges for her role in the incident.
The court was informed that the defendants resided at Cisswood House Hotel in Horsham, which is approved by the Home Office for asylum seekers and immigration applicants. They allegedly lured the woman from the main road to a secluded pebbled area near a wall, where the attack took place.
“They wanted sex, and that, members of the jury, could be achieved by being with someone who was in no state to resist them,” said the prosecutor.
During her police interview, the woman described feeling as though her soul was leaving her body. She recalled hearing men laughing above her while another was assaulting her. One clip showed Ahmadi covering his face with his hand, possibly to avoid being seen on camera. Another, pixelated for modesty, captured Alshafe smiling and sticking his tongue out as he filmed the attack.
Following the alleged assaults, Ahmadi fled the Cisswood Hotel the next day without permission, relocating to Crewe. He was apprehended by police a week later. The trial continues as jurors weigh the evidence of sexual exploitation and recorded degradation.
