An Egyptian asylum applicant in Britain has rejected any connection to a gang rape that occurred on a seaside beach in Brighton, according to court hearings. The accused maintained he filmed the incident specifically to gather evidence for the police.
Karin Al-Danasurt claimed he felt shocked when he observed two people he knew sexually attacking a woman behind a beach structure shortly before dawn on October 5 the previous year, according to evidence submitted to the court.
The complainant, a woman aged 33, described being dragged onto the sand and attacked following an evening out with friends at the coastal location.
According to reports, the asylum seeker charged in the case left his state-provided housing the day after the alleged assault. Furthermore, it was claimed the defendant expressed wishes to wed a British national to secure citizenship.
Mr Al-Danasurt stated he did not engage in sexual activity with the woman and maintained he understood such behaviour violated his religious principles, adding that he wanted to keep a record of what transpired.
When questioned by authorities approximately a fortnight subsequently, Mr Al-Danasurt indicated he had no involvement in arranging or inciting the attack and filmed mobile phone footage as possible proof.
He acknowledged the recording exists and that investigators had viewed it, confirming the footage depicted a rape. He explained he was experiencing shock at the time, which prompted him to document his observations.
When asked about manipulations in position, laughter, and zooming during the recording, he replied that his intentions were unclear, he could not remember, and he simply wanted to capture everyone together.
During his first police interview, which took place before officers examined three video clips from his phone, Mr Al-Danasurt stated he had commanded the other men to cease their actions.
When investigators pointed out that no such verbal commands could be heard in any of the footage, he explained that he could not recall but possibly said religious objections, stop, or comparable phrases, though he could not specifically remember. He insisted it was not a laughing matter, absolutely not, and that as a Muslim he had never witnessed anything similar in his entire life.
He told officers he deleted the recordings because he did not want to keep them and denied sharing the material.
The woman informed police that when she regained consciousness on the sand, she witnessed men attacking her and remembered a bright light shining on her face.
Ibrahim Mohamed Alshafe supplied three prepared accounts during interviews with Sussex Police detectives.
He initially denied knowing Mr Al-Danasurt, despite having lived alongside him at the asylum centre for three months, before later conceding to investigators that their relationship was not amicable.
Mr Alshafe denied being in Brighton on October 3 and 4 or visiting the Horizon nightclub establishment. He acknowledged his identification was scanned upon entry while insisting that photographs taken from security cameras did not depict him.
Mr Alshafe declined to answer after detectives showed him a description of himself posing and sticking out his tongue in video footage his roommate claimed displayed the assault.
He declined to answer when asked about the presence of his DNA on samples collected from the woman.
She told authorities she had regained consciousness on the beach to discover the men attacking her. Lewes Crown Court in Hove heard she believed her drink might have been tampered with.
Abdulla Amih Ahmadi told police that all three men participated in consensual sexual activity with the woman on the beach.
He indicated that Karin Al-Danasurt was the only one of the three who spoke English. In his prepared statement, he claimed the woman commenced sexual relations with all three men.
He argued the sexual activity took place with agreement and the woman stayed conscious and participated throughout.
He told police that after he finished, Karin Al-Danasurt started hitting her and spat into her mouth. He noted the woman became upset and announced she would call the police.
Sussex Police recorded that the woman reported being attacked at the lower esplanade during the early hours of Saturday, October 4 the previous year.
Two Egyptian nationals and another individual were charged in connection with the incident.