Asylum Seeker Denies Celebrating Alleged Rape on Brighton Beach
An asylum seeker accused of raping a woman on Brighton beach has vehemently denied that he was "celebrating her humiliation" by smiling and sticking out his tongue during the alleged attack. Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, is currently on trial at Hove Crown Court alongside two co-defendants for what prosecutors have described as a "cynical, predatory and callous" assault that occurred in the early hours of October 4, 2025.
Details of the Alleged Attack and Court Proceedings
The court heard that Alshafe and co-defendant Abdulla Ahmadi, 26, are accused of repeatedly raping the woman on the East Sussex beach, while their associate Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, allegedly filmed the entire incident. Prosecutors presented video evidence to jurors showing Alshafe making a hand gesture while smiling with his tongue out toward the person filming.
When questioned about this footage during cross-examination by prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC, Alshafe insisted through an Arabic interpreter: "This is not celebration, this a reaction to a gesture that was made to me." He further claimed he was unaware he was being filmed at the time and stated: "I was happy, she was happy."
Defendant's Account of Events
Alshafe provided his version of events to the court, asserting that the woman had approached him and Ahmadi voluntarily, kissing and touching them in a manner that led him to believe she wanted to engage in sexual activity. "I swear I didn't rape her," he told the court on Wednesday, April 8.
The Egyptian national addressed additional video evidence showing him slapping the woman during the encounter, explaining: "I wasn't hitting her to punish her or torture her, I was playing with her." He maintained that the woman was conscious throughout and "enjoying what we were doing," noting that they were kissing both on the way to and from the beach.
Prosecution's Case and Additional Charges
Prosecutors presented a contrasting narrative, describing how the woman had been on a girls' night out when she became separated from her friends. Footage shown in court allegedly depicts her "staggering in the street" alone before the defendants approached her. The prosecution highlighted that the woman fell twice in the footage, suggesting her vulnerable state.
All three defendants were residents at a Home Office-approved hotel accommodation for asylum seekers near Horsham, West Sussex, at the time of the alleged offences. Alshafe admitted to initially lying to police about his whereabouts during the incident, telling the court: "I was scared, I was terrified of what's going on."
Alshafe and Iranian national Ahmadi have each pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape. Al-Danasurt faces four rape charges as a secondary party for allegedly encouraging the assault through his actions, including filming it, and has denied all charges. He additionally denies a fifth count of sharing intimate films without consent, relating to allegations that he sent recordings of the incident via Snapchat shortly afterward.
The trial continues at Hove Crown Court as jurors consider the conflicting accounts and evidence presented by both prosecution and defense.
