Two men have been convicted of raping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was “the worse for wear” after drinking with friends in Brighton.
Ashley Lewis and Dylan Holden attacked the 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in the Royal Pavilion Gardens, Brighton, late one night in June last year.
A jury returned unanimous verdicts at Hove Crown Court after 7 hours and 19 minutes of deliberation at the end of a trial lasting almost four weeks.
At the same trial, 36-year-old Lewis was convicted of stealing his victim’s backpack, which contained her phone, purse and bank card, effectively leaving her stranded but for the kindness of strangers.
And the jury convicted him of attacking a woman in London and sexually assaulting her at the trial which was presided over by Judge Martin Huseyin.
Lewis, from London, and Holden, 18, of Avalon, West Street, Brighton, were remanded in custody to await sentence.
The Crown Prosecution Service said: “Ashley Lewis and Dylan Holden acted together, taking advantage of a 17-year-old woman who was so intoxicated she was unable to walk without assistance.
“Dylan Holden, 18, who was known to the victim, was found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting the woman in the gardens of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton in June 2021.
“He sent the victim text messages after the attack, feigning concern for her and claiming he had tried to protect her.”
Lewis, who was described by one witness as “creepy”, had travelled to Brighton from London on the day of the rape in Pavilion Gardens.
Rachel Beckett, prosecuting, said that he was a “sexual predator” and that, hours before the attack in Pavilion Gardens, he had been filming women on the beach.
He was charged with two counts of voyeurism – and he pleaded guilty to both charges at the start of the trial. But he and Holden denied all the other charges.
Lewis and Holden had not met each other before the day of the attack but DNA evidence linked both men to the rape.
Miss Beckett told the jury that the victim had been chatting with friends on Brighton beach when Lewis joined her group.
But after a sharing a drink on the beach with Lewis, she remembered nothing further about the evening. Passers-by saw the attack and intervened, taking her home in a taxi.
Four months after the rape in Pavilion Gardens, Lewis sexually assaulted another 17-year-old at a religious event in central London in October.
She challenged him and held on to him to prevent him from leaving. He pushed her away, before being stopped and arrested by police.
Lewis, 36, of Lait House, Albemarle Road, Beckenham, south east London, and formerly of Gloucester Gardens, London, was convicted of sexual assault and assault by beating.
The CPS said: “Lewis acted as a sexual predator that day, first filming women covertly on Brighton beach before targeting the victim who was too drunk to consent to any sexual activity.
“Holden took advantage of a woman who thought he was her friend in a gross breach of her trust.
“But he went on to lie to her afterwards, pretending he had tried to help her while she was trying to piece together the events of the evening.
“The truth was he took advantage of her, alongside Lewis, with both of them targeting a woman who was too drunk to consent to any sexual activity.
“Each defendant denied what they had done, choosing to blame the other, but our case was clear – that they were both involved in a joint attack.
“The fact that Lewis went on to sexually assault a woman in London just a few months later shows what a danger he poses to women.
“We hope that these convictions bring some comfort to the victims in this case.”
Judge Huseyin is due to sentence both men on Thursday 5 January.
