A jury has been sworn to try three asylum-seekers accused of raping a woman on Brighton beach and filming and sharing the footage.
Two of the three defendants are charged with the physical rape and the third man with encouraging what happened by filming it.
Abdulla Amih Ahmadi, 26, an Iranian, of Wistaston Road, Crewe, and Ibrahim Alshafe, 25, also Egyptian, also of Sandygate Lane, Lower Beeding, are each alleged to have raped the woman twice.
Karin Al-Danasurt, 20, an Egyptian, of Sandygate Lane, Lower Beeding, filmed the attack and is alleged to have to have later shared the footage.
The offences were alleged to have taken place at about 5am on Saturday 4 October 2025.
The three men appeared at Hove Crown Court today (Monday 16 March) for the trial which is being presided over by Judge Christine Henson.
Judge Henson told the jury: “Don’t form any rushed views. Keep an open mind.”
She told jurors to beware of stereotyping and said that this included not judging “lifestyle choices” such as having voluntarily been drinking alcohol as the complainant had in this case.
The judge warned them not to “fall into the trap” of thinking someone is “less worthy of belief” if they had drunk alcohol or, in some cases, taken illegal drugs.
She added: “It is important not to assume that that means they were looking for or willing to have sex.
“People go out. They get drunk (and) party. They get high. They may do it for no reason at all.”
The said that wearing revealing clothing also did not mean that someone was “inviting or willing to have sex”.
Judge Henson also said: “The lived experience of a sexual assault may well not be remembered in a neat, consistent, forensic parcel so you will want to bear that in mind.
“It is well established through the courts that a traumatic event can affect memory and the ability to particularise details and the order of events.”
Jurors were also told that pixelated footage of the incident would be played to them.
All three men arrived in Britain on small boats and were awaiting decisions on asylum claims, the Home Office said.
The trial is expected to last for three to four weeks.
It was adjourned until tomorrow.