Trial date set for Brighton beach rape accused
It happened last week
A trial date has been set for three asylum seekers, charged with the rape of a woman on Brighton beach.
Sussex police officers received a report that a woman had been raped on the lower esplanade in Brighton at about 5am on the morning of October 4.
Abdulla Ahmadi, 25, an Iranian national from Crewe, along with Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, and Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, both Egyptian nationals from Horsham, are each charged with two counts of rape.
The three men appeared wearing grey prison jumpers and spoke to confirm their names at Brighton Law Courts on Thursday.
They were set to enter pleas today but that hearing was adjourned due to a lack of Kurdish interpreter present for Ahmadi.
Ahmadi, Al-Danasurt and Alshafe are alleged to have carried the victim to the beach in the early hours of the morning, the court heard.
A three-week trial has been fixed for March 16 2026 at Brighton Law Courts.
All three men arrived in the UK via small boats and had pending decisions on asylum claims, the Home Office has confirmed.
In an earlier statement, a Home Office spokesperson said: "These allegations are shocking and we share the public's outrage. Our thoughts are with the victim of this horrific crime.
"We are receiving regular updates from Sussex Police. The priority must now be for the police to investigate so those responsible are brought to justice."
Ahmadi, Al-Danasurt, and Alshafe will remain in custody ahead of a new plea and trial preparation hearing at Brighton Law Courts on December 8.