Asylum Seeker Claims Filming Alleged Brighton Beach Rape Was an Attempt to Intervene
An asylum seeker stands accused of filming an alleged rape on Brighton beach, claiming he did so in a desperate effort to halt the attack. The chilling case unfolded on the night of October 4 last year, exposing a harrowing series of events that have gripped the courtroom.
Allegations of a Callous Attack on a Vulnerable Woman
Karin Al-Danasurt, a 20-year-old Egyptian national, faces charges of spitting on a woman, hurling vile insults including calling her a “dirty bitch,” and allegedly encouraging the other two men involved to commit the rape. The co-defendants, Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, also Egyptian, and Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, from Iran, are each charged with two counts of rape.
Prosecutors described the attack as “cynical, predatory and callous,” revealing the victim had been isolated from her friends and found staggering alone in the street when the trio approached her. Courtroom evidence included footage capturing the woman falling twice, underscoring her vulnerable state.
Defendant’s Contested Explanation for Recording the Incident
Al-Danasurt faces four counts as a secondary party, accused of encouraging the rape through his actions, including filming the assault. He denies all charges and claims his videos aimed to stop the attack and provide evidence to others. He also denies a charge of sharing intimate films without the woman’s consent, after allegedly sending the footage via Snapchat to Ahmadi.
In his testimony, Al-Danasurt insisted he tried to intervene physically before filming, attempting to “grab them away” from the victim. However, prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC dismissed his defense as a “pack of lies,” accusing him of fabricating his version to conceal his true role.
“I suggest what you’ve done in your evidence is put on a performance with a string of lies to hide your true involvement,” the prosecutor told him.
Al-Danasurt responded firmly, “What I said is totally the truth, I’m not lying, I’m telling the truth.”
Verbal Exchanges and Alleged Mockery During the Assault
The court heard that during the alleged rape, Al-Danasurt shouted, “God will expose you” at the two men. When confronted with whether he found the incident entertaining, he denied it emphatically.
“No, there was no entertainment at all,” he insisted.
Background: Migrant Hotel and the Accused
At the time of the alleged offenses, all three men resided in a Home Office-approved migrant hotel in Lower Beeding, near Horsham.
Co-Defendant’s Version of Events
On Tuesday, Alshafe gave his account, stating the woman approached him and Ahmadi, asked how they were, then kissed and touched both men. He denied she appeared drunk and said her behavior and laughter suggested she wanted to have sex.
“That is everything that came to my mind because of that, and she also said something like ‘come to sex’,” Alshafe testified.
The trial continues as the court seeks the truth behind this disturbing incident on Brighton beach.
