SEXUAL PREDATOR WHO WAS CAUGHT TRYING TO RAPE WOMAN ON BEACH STILL ON THE RUN
A man accused of attempting to sexually assault a woman on a Brighton beach remains at large.Bereke Russom followed the woman prior to the incident and was only stopped when a beach patrol on a quad bike intervened.
He received an eight-year prison sentence in absentia after not appearing at Lewes Crown Court in Brighton for his sentencing hearing.
The 32-year-old man from Eritrea was out on bail during his January trial but failed to return after evidence from CCTV footage showed he had lied to police.
Prosecutor Richard Sedgwick stated that efforts to find Russom had been unsuccessful.
He was last seen in Leeds, and West Yorkshire Police are now leading investigations to locate him.
According to court reports, Russom traveled from Gatwick Airport to Brighton on the night of the assault and was spotted near the seafront around 3 a.m.
on August 27, 2022.
A beach patrol noticed him atop the distressed woman and alerted authorities.
The victim, who had been out with friends, was separated from her group and called her friend after realizing she was alone.
Russom took her phone and continued speaking, refusing to disclose their location, then disconnected the call.
The woman described the attack as forcibly pushing herself onto her and restraining her, despite her requests for him to stop.
In her personal statement, she expressed how the incident had profoundly affected her, stating, "After that night, I lost a part of myself I’m no longer sure I will ever get back." Russom claimed he had been talking with the woman all night after she approached him in a bar, but he required an interpreter in court.
He also stated he couldn't go into any bars due to forgetting his identification.
Police CCTV footage confirmed the woman was alone when Russom took her phone.
Footage from near Brighton Palace Pier showed him leading her onto the beach.
A jury convicted him after a five-day trial, and he was sentenced to eight years for attempted rape and an additional six years, to run concurrently, for sexual assault by penetration.
