Guestling man accused of rape

Khosrow Sobhanieh, 56, of North Lane, Guestling, was joined by five other men when he appeared at Hove Trial Centre on Monday March 9.

His co-defendants are Stephen Daramola, 48, of Park Lane, Eastbourne; Khalid Del-Rosario, 45, of Upperton Road, Eastbourne; Mohammed Kamali, 46 of Wilmington Gardens, Eastbourne; Christopher Kayla-Joseph, 27, of Elphick Road, Newhaven, and Giuseppe Carella, 19, of South Coast Road, Peacehaven, There is one complainant in the case.

Prosecuting, Richard Barton said Kayla-Joseph had befriended a 16-year-old girl, who he then had a sexual relationship with, but he soon began ‘breaking her in’ along with his friend Carella.

He described the pair as ‘pimps’ alongside Kamali, who arranged for the girl to have sex with men after they plied her with alcohol and drugs.

The court heard on one occasion, the girl was taken to a flat by Kayla-Joseph and Kamali. Daramola and Del-Rosario turned up, and the girl was given alcohol and cocaine.

Mr Barton said Daramola then sexually assaulted the girl when she was intoxicated, and he gave her £40, which Kayla-Joseph then took for himself. Del-Rosario declined sex with the girl, saying she was ‘just a kid’, according to the prosecution.

On another occasion the girl was plied with alcohol and drugs, claim the prosecution, and Sobhanieh raped her, and then gave her £60, which again Kayla-Joseph took.

Carella and Sobhanieh are also accused of rape, and Daramola is accused of sexual assault.

Carella, Kayla-Joseph, Kamali, Del-Rosrio and Daramola are also accused of supplying cocaine.

The trial is expected to last three weeks. All six defendants deny the charges.