Three asylum seekers have been jailed at Hove Crown Court for a combined total of more than 60 years following the rape of a woman on Brighton beach on October 4.
Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, and Egyptian national Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, were each sentenced to 21 years in prison for their roles in the attack. A third defendant, 20-year-old Egyptian national Karin Al-Danasurt, was convicted as a secondary party for encouraging the assault and filming it on his phone. He was sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison. All three men will also serve an additional six years on extended licence.
The trial heard that the three defendants knew each other and were living together in Home Office-approved hotel accommodation for asylum seekers in Lower Beeding, near Horsham. Ahmadi and Alshafe had met after crossing the English Channel in a small boat from France in June 2025.
Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC said that, after the attack, the three men returned to their hotel by bus and held a barbecue while the victim underwent a forensic medical examination.
During the sentencing hearing, the victim read an impact statement describing the effect the attack had had on her life. Judge Christine Henson KC said the defendants had treated the victim with contempt and that each had played a role in the assault.
