London man jailed for raping a woman on Brighton seafront

A London man who raped a vulnerable woman on Brighton beach has been jailed.

Ali Mozaffari, 37, of Golders Green Road, Golders Green, was witnessed by raping a woman on the beach, to the west of Brighton Palace Pier, at around 5.40am on Sunday, 10 September, 2023.

Members of the public called 999 and officers responded immediately, catching Mozafarri in the process of attacking the woman.

He was arrested at the scene, but pretended to fall unconscious and had to be taken to a police vehicle and into custody.

His collapse was swiftly proven to be simulated.

The victim was taken to a place of safety and supported by specialist officers while an investigation was launched.

Mozaffari was subsequently charged with rape and remanded in custody.

He pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court on 2 February 2024. He appeared again at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday (22 January), where he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison.

Detective Constable Clare Byrnes said:
“Ali Mozaffari preyed on a vulnerable woman who had every right to feel safe in a public space.

“Thanks to the quick thinking of witnesses at the scene, and rapid response from our officers, he was located while committing the offence and taken into custody.

“The victim in this investigation has shown immense courage to support the process, while living with the impacts of her ordeal, and has helped bring a dangerous predator to justice.”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Phillips, of Brighton’s Safeguarding Investigations Unit, said:
“Brighton is a safe place, but appalling incidents such as these reinforce why we and our partners take policing the night-time economy so seriously.

“We have a wide range of safety measures in place to protect vulnerable people and catch perpetrators, should the worst happen, and thankfully incidents such as these are a rare occurrence.

“As a force we have made significant improvements to how we investigate reports of rape and support victims. That is helping us bring more offenders to justice and provide victims with the help they deserve.

“If you are a victim of crime, or see something suspicious, please report online, via 101 or dial 999 in an emergency.”