Three men convicted of the rape of a woman on Brighton beach

Abdullah Ahmadi, Ibrahim Alshafe and Karin Al-Danasurt

Three men have been convicted of the rape of a woman on Brighton beach in October, 2025.

Police received a report on Saturday, 4 October, that a woman in a vulnerable state had been taken to the beach by three men and attacked at around 5am that morning.

The victim – a woman in her 30s – was able to escape and raise the alarm, triggering an urgent police investigation while she was supported by specialist officers and our partners.

CCTV footage from a nearby nightclub identified all three suspects, who had scanned their ID cards on entering the club as part of the venue’s own security measures.

They were identified as Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, and Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, located and arrested.

Footage of the attack was found on the phone of Al-Danasurt, who sought to claim in his defence he had not been an active participant in the rape.

Alshafe and Ahmadi were subsequently charged with two counts of rape, while Al-Danasurt was charged with four counts of rape and sharing intimate images. All three were remanded in custody.

Ahmadi, an Iranian national from Crewe, and Al-Danasurt and Alshafe – both Egyptian nationals from Horsham, all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following a trial at Hove Crown Court concluding on Thursday (23 April), a jury found all three defendants guilty of all counts of rape. The charge of sharing intimate images against Al-Danasurt was removed.

Abdullah Ahmadi

Karin Al-Danasurt

Ibrahim Alshafe

They have been remanded in custody to appear for sentencing at the same court on Wednesday, 15 July.

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard McDonagh said: “These three predatory men took advantage of an extremely vulnerable woman, subjecting her to a prolonged, harrowing ordeal.

“I do not underestimate the strength and courage it required to report this to the police and support the investigation as she dealt with the lasting impact of that morning’s incident. Thanks to this woman’s resolve, we have been able to bring her attackers to justice.

“My thanks also extend to the investigative team for their diligent work and our partners for their support to the investigation and the victim.

“Women and girls should be able to feel safe in public and in private, at any time of the night or day.

“Brighton is a safe place, but incidents such as this serve as a sobering reminder of why we and our partners work so hard to prevent people from coming to harm, and tirelessly pursue perpetrators should the worst happen.

“If you are a victim of a sexual offence, please report it to Sussex Police online, via 101 or by dialling 999 in an emergency. We will do support you and do everything we can to get you justice.”