Man sentenced for child sexual offences in Brighton

A man who travelled to the UK and engaged in sexual activity with a young teenage girl has been sentenced.

Hamdan Alshamsi, 21, was in contact with the girl online and booked a hotel in Brighton when he arrived to the UK.

Police carried out an extensive search of the hotel and seafront to safely locate the victim who received support from specially-trained officers.

Alshamsi was also safely arrested at the scene.

At Lewes Crown Court on March 25, Alshamsi was jailed for six years, after admitting three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child at an earlier hearing.

The court was told how the victim, a teenage girl who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had left her home and travelled to Brighton to meet Alshamsi, who knew her age.

He reserved a hotel room on Brighton seafront on December 27, and she later attended the hotel that day, where he then committed sexual offences against her.

Officers were able to locate her after a lengthy search over several hours along Brighton seafront.

The victim was found wandering in the hotel by officers, and was taken into police protection.

Officers searched the hotel to look for Alshamsi, who was eventually found in the wellness and spa area and placed under arrest.

Inside his room, police found condoms and vodka that he had purchased.

Alshamsi, of no fixed address, had travelled from the United Arab Emirates to the UK.

He is now beginning his prison sentence.

The victim’s family said the sexual offences continue to have a long-lasting impact on her.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Sean Booth from the Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: “This was a distressing case which showed the lengths Alshamsi was prepared to go to engage in sexual activity with a young teenage girl. She was vulnerable, and he exploited her trust.

“I would like to thank the victim and her family for the bravery they have shown to support the police investigation.

“I would also like to praise the professionalism of our officers from Brighton Response and our Neighbourhood Policing Team who completed an extended search of the seafront and a meticulous search inside the hotel which ensure the victim was brought safely back to her family, and that Alshamsi was arrested swiftly.

“Thanks to this work, Alshamsi was swiftly arrested and had no choice but to plead guilty to the offences when presented with the evidence from our investigation.

“We take child sexual exploitation extremely seriously. We continue to encourage anyone who has been the victim of child sexual exploitation and sexual offences to come forward and report their experience to us.”

More information about support services available for serious sexual offences is available online.

More information about how we investigate sexual offences is also available online.