Brighton Beach Rape Trial: Asylum Seekers Blame Each Other In Dock

A trial at Hove Crown Court has heard detailed evidence from three men accused of raping a woman on Brighton beach as the case against them continued this week.

Egyptian nationals Karin Al-Danasurt and Ibrahim Alshafe together with Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi each deny any wrongdoing. The alleged offences are said to have taken place in the early hours of 4 October 2025.

Jurors have heard that the woman became separated from her friends while on a night out in Brighton. Prosecutors allege that the defendants approached her when she was staggering alone in the street.

The court was told she had left the Horizon nightclub before heading to Burger King on Kings Road around 5.30am. CCTV footage previously shown to the jury captured the woman interacting with the three men outside the fast-food outlet.

The group then crossed Kings Road onto the promenade and onto the beach where the alleged rapes are said to have occurred. Footage shown in court depicted the woman falling down twice during the incident. Alshafe and Ahmadi each deny two counts of rape.

Read more: Failed Somali Asylum Seeker on Trial for Sex Attack on Teenager

Al-Danasurt denies four counts of rape as a secondary party by encouraging the rape through his actions at the scene including filming it. He also denies a fifth count of sharing intimate films without the complainant’s consent.

That charge relates to an allegation that he sent recordings of the alleged rapes to Ahmadi’s phone via Snapchat shortly after the incident. All three men knew each other and were living at the same Home Office-approved hotel accommodation for asylum seekers near Horsham in West Sussex at the time of the alleged offences.

This week the defendants each gave evidence in their own defence at the trial. On 7 April Karin Al-Danasurt took the stand first. He claimed that he had captured three videos because he was trying to stop the incident. Al-Danasurt told jurors he was attempting to defend himself so that he could tell someone what had happened.

Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC put it to him that his account was a pack of lies. She suggested that what he had done in his evidence was put on a performance with a string of lies to hide his true involvement.

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Al-Danasurt denied allegations that he had spat on the woman or slapped her. He also denied laughing or encouraging his co-defendants during the incident. In the videos he was heard saying “God will expose you” to the other two men.

An interpreter told the court that the phrase could be used in a dismissive way. Al-Danasurt said if he had wanted to lie he would have said he did not go to Brighton from the beginning.

The court heard that Ahmadi had told police Al-Danasurt began slapping the woman and spat in her mouth after the incident. Al-Danasurt claimed Ahmadi would accuse him because he had given the video to police.

Jurors were told that Al-Danasurt bought juice and croissants for his co-defendants after the incident. About 12 hours later he had a barbecue with them despite claiming Ahmadi had threatened him that evening.

Read more: Iranian asylum seeker jailed for predatory sexual assault

He said the barbecue was their idea and he did not refuse. On 9 April Ibrahim Alshafe gave evidence. The 25-year-old denied raping the woman. He told the court he believed she wanted to have sex with him. Alshafe said the woman had approached him and Ahmadi kissing and touching them.

His understanding was that she wanted to have sex. In a video shown to jurors Alshafe is seen smiling with his tongue out and making a hand gesture towards Al-Danasurt who was filming. He said he did not know he was being filmed. Instead he was reacting to a hand gesture made to him first by his friend.

The prosecutor put it to him that he was celebrating her humiliation. Alshafe replied that this was not celebration but a reaction to a gesture that was made to him. Speaking through an Arabic interpreter he told jurors he was happy and she was happy.

He was also asked about a third recording shown in court of him slapping the woman in the face. Alshafe said he was not hitting her to punish or torture her but was playing with her.

He denied that the woman was unconscious at any time. When asked if she was asleep at any time he replied she was enjoying what they were doing. He told the court that in the walk to and from the beach they were kissing each other.

Alshafe admitted he had lied in his initial police interviews about not being in Brighton. He said he had claimed he was at his accommodation at the time of the incident. He explained that he was scared and terrified of what was going on.

On 10 April Abdulla Ahmadi gave evidence. The 26-year-old said what happened was consensual. He told jurors the woman did not show any anger until Al-Danasurt spat in her face. Ahmadi said he then stopped having sex with the woman and pushed Al-Danasurt away.

He described Al-Danasurt’s action as very disgusting. Ahmadi said he was very angry and told him:

He added that normal people are not doing that. Ahmadi told jurors that Al-Danasurt’s behaviour made him leave the beach. After the beach he said Alshafe and the woman were sitting on a bench cuddling and kissing when Al-Danasurt spat on her again.

When he said goodbye to the woman she kissed him. Ahmadi said he repeatedly told her he was sorry because of Al-Danasurt’s behaviour. He maintained that the woman had approached him and kissed and touched him.

She also kissed Alshafe. Ahmadi said he heard her say the word sex and that she took the two of them down to the beach. Ahmadi told the court he did not know there was a video. The trial continues.