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 allegedly gang-raped by three asylum seekers, who laughed and spat at her as one captured the harrowing event on camera, according to court testimony.
The accused individuals reportedly treated her as ‘meat’, dragging her to a secluded stretch of Brighton beach where they took turns in sexually assaulting her. The woman, whose identity has been withheld, recounted being left bloodied and struggling to stay conscious during the attack.
“She remembers being grabbed—her mouth being grabbed and opened with it being spat in by the man filming,” said Ms. Llewellyn-Waters.
The prosecution’s opening remarks at Hove Crown Court highlighted how the defendants exploited her state of intoxication, leaving her unable to resist. The woman, in her thirties, had become separated from her friend after the assault, which occurred in the early hours of October 4 last year following a night out with companions.
Ms. Llewellyn-Waters explained: “Instead of offering her help or even just leaving her be, these defendants targeted her. The targeting was not driven by goodwill or camaraderie, but by a calculating, predatory intent. To them, she was a vessel for their desires, and that’s precisely what they used her for.”
Accusations and evidence
Two of the three asylum seekers are charged with the physical rape, while the third defendant faces four counts of rape for allegedly encouraging the attacks and sharing intimate footage. Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, denies recording the woman during the assault, though the prosecution argues the evidence shows otherwise.
The court was shown video footage of the woman lying motionless on her back, eyes closed, as Abdulla Amih Ahmadi and Ibrahim Alshafe penetrated her. A clip from Al-Danasurt’s phone revealed Ahmadi covering his face with his hand, possibly to obscure his identity from the camera.
“The man might have been trying to shield his face so it can’t be seen on the camera,” the prosecutor stated.
Another pixelated clip, redacted for modesty, showed Alshafe lifting his head to face the camera, striking a pose with a smug grin and sticking his tongue out. The woman, in her police statement, described feeling as though her soul was leaving her body during the encounter.
She also mentioned hearing a foreign accent chant “Dirty bitch, dirty bitch” and seeing a flash of light in her face, reminiscent of a phone camera’s flash. Earlier in the evening, she had been offered drugs at the Horizon nightclub but declined, though the court was told she may have been spiked.
Defendants’ background and movements
The three individuals were residents of Cisswood House Hotel in Horsham, a Home Office-approved facility for asylum seekers and those appealing their status. After the alleged assault, Ahmadi fled the hotel the following day, relocating to an address in Crewe without Home Office approval. He was later apprehended by police.
Al-Danasurt and Alshafe, both from the same accommodation, are accused of orchestrating the attack. The trial continues as jurors assess the evidence linking the defendants to the sexual abuse and the role of the camera in documenting the crime.
