Three Brighton men arrested on suspicion of raping Hove teenager

Three men from Brighton have been arrested on suspicion of raping a 19-year-old woman from Hove.

One of the three men was also arrested on suspicion of having a class B drug.

Two other men – who are not suspects – are believed to have joined the group on their way to a flat in Kemp Town.

Sussex Police published a picture of the two men today (Thursday 22 May) and asked for help in finding them.

The force said: “These two men may hold the key to what happened to a 19-year-old Hove woman who woke up in a strange house after a night out in the city in April.

“The woman had been socialising with a friend in Brighton in the early hours of Sunday 6 April and, when the city club they were in closed at 6am, they were invited back to a flat in Kemp Town by a group of men they had met.

“As they walked back, they were joined by others, including the two men shown in the photo.”

Detective Constable Gemma Holley said: “It appears that it was quite a sociable group and the two in the photo were invited along en route.

“The image comes from CCTV in the lift in the block of flats.

“I would stress that these men are not suspects but they may have important information as to what happened at the party.”

She appealed to the men or anyone who knows them to phone Sussex Police on 101.

The force added: “Two men, aged 30 and 23, both from Brighton, have been arrested on suspicion of rape.

“A third man, aged 22, also from Brighton, has been arrested on suspicion of rape and possession of a class B drug.

“All have been bailed until (Wednesday) 18 June.”