Three Men Charged Over Brighton Beach Rape Remain in Custody
Three men accused of raping a woman on Brighton beach have been ordered to stay behind bars as they await trial next spring. The trio, all asylum seekers, appeared at Hove Crown Court on Monday, 8 December.
Shocking Early Morning Attack
- The alleged assault took place at around 5am on Saturday, 4 October, on the lower esplanade of Brighton.
- Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, an Egyptian national from Lower Beeding, faces four counts of rape and denies sharing intimate images without consent.
- Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, also Egyptian and from Lower Beeding, plus Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian from Crewe, each face two counts of rape.
- All three men have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Trial Set for March 2024
The case, arising from a police probe dubbed Operation Brampton, will go to trial at Hove Crown Court on Monday, 16 March 2024. The hearing is expected to last three weeks. Meanwhile, all three defendants remain in custody.
Language Barriers Highlighted in Court
At a previous hearing in November, court officials struggled with interpreting as only one Arabic interpreter was available for the two Arabic-speaking defendants and one Kurdish-speaking defendant. Judges stressed the importance of cooperation through interpreters.
“It is very important that you co-operate,” Judge Jeremy Gold told the defendants, speaking via Kurdish and Arabic interpreters.
The Home Office confirmed the men arrived in the UK on small boats and were awaiting decisions on their asylum claims.
