Six men have been charged with a string of rapes and sexual assaults on one of Britain’s most famous holiday beaches after six women reported being attacked on the beach and pier in one month.
Sussex Police traced and arrested them in connection with reports of women having been raped or sexually assaulted around the Brighton beach area.
Detectives had been working to find them as part of their investigations into the incidents, which took place in September.
Superintendent Adele Tucknott, Sussex Police’s lead for Violence Against Women and Girls, said: ‘Every one of these appalling incidents was treated with the seriousness they demanded, with hundreds of hours spent on painstaking investigations to identify and locate suspects.
‘Alongside these investigations, each victim was offered support from specialist officers and our partners through this extremely difficult time.
‘Each of these charges should send a clear message to anyone looking to harm women and girls in Brighton and Hove that we will do everything we can to bring perpetrators to justice.
Sussex Police traced and arrested them in connection with reports of women having been raped or sexually assaulted around the Brighton beach area (file image)
‘The work to prevent incidents such as these happening continues alongside our partners, with extra patrols, a drone monitoring hard to reach areas like the beach and a host of other safety measures to reduce vulnerability and keep Brighton a safe place to enjoy a night out.’
The separate investigations were handled by four operations, Sussex Police said, and the men who have been arrested are due to appear in court in the coming months.
Operation Lindwood looked into two separate attacks, the first of which took place on Wednesday, September 6.
Police received a report that a young woman had been raped on the beach near Brighton Pier shortly after midnight.
Two days later officers were called to London Road in the early hours after a report that a woman in her 20s had been sexually assaulted at around 3.15am.
Ahmed Lahmatar, 36, of no fixed address, has been charged with rape and attempted rape and remanded in custody.
He is due to appear for trial at a court to be confirmed on March 4, 2024.
A second investigation, Operation Carpenter, was launched after police were called to the beach near the Kings Road Arches at around 5.35am on September 10 by a member of the public concerned for the welfare of a woman in her 30s.
Ali Reza Mozaffari, 36, of Brent Cross, London, has been charged with rape and remanded in custody.
Isaac Cid-Lopez, 22, of Walthamstow, London, has been charged with rape and theft. He has been released on court bail with strict conditions.
Both will appear at court on February 26.
In the early hours of Saturday, September 16, police received a report that a woman in her 20s had been raped on the beach.
Following enquiries as part of Operation Embassy, a 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of rape and being in possession of a class B drug – cannabis. He has been remanded in custody in relation to a separate matter.
Early on the morning of September 24, a woman reported being raped on the seafront near Brighton Pier, and another sexually assaulted nearby.
Altaib Hamed, 25, of Brighton, has now been charged with rape and remanded in custody.
Bader Saleh, 23, of Brighton, has been charged with sexual assault and remanded in custody.
Both will appear in courts to be confirmed on 18 December.