Dubai student, 21, who flew to Britain to sexually abuse 13-year-old girl he met on Snapchat before luring her to his Brighton hotel is jailed for six years
A man from Dubai flew to Britain to have sex with a 13-year-old schoolgirl after spending months grooming her online.
Hamdan Alshamsi, 21, first contacted the girl using Snapchat and when she agreed to meet him, he jetted into the UK and booked himself a room at a four-star hotel in Brighton.
He then ordered an Uber to drive the 'vulnerable' girl from her home to the seafront hotel.
Alshamsi showered the schoolgirl with gifts and then spent two days sexually assaulting her in his room.
After receiving a tip, police launched a hunt for the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and eventually tracked her down to the hotel.
They found her wandering down a hotel hallway where she became 'upset and angry' at officers, telling them she just wanted to be with her mother.
Police continued their search of the hotel and found Alshamsi enjoying the spa and wellness centre where they arrested him.
A search was carried out of his hotel room where officers found condoms, a whipped cream canister, lubricant and vodka he had purchased.
Hamdan Alshamsi, 21, is seen walking to wellness spa at the Brighton Metropole Hotel
Alshamsi (pictured in his custody photo) showered the schoolgirl with gifts and then spent two days sexually assaulting her in his room
Today at Lewes Crown Court, Alshamsi was sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual activity with a child.
The girl's distraught family said Alshamsi had destroyed the innocence of the young girl and left her with severe psychological damage for which she is receiving ongoing counselling.
Her mother said: 'He has taken away our little girl. He took away the virginity of a girl who should be learning about sex education at school and not having sex with a grown adult.
'She was honest with him and told him her age. He knew what he was doing, what he was coming over here for.'
Lewes Crown Court heard Alshamsi made contact with the Year 9 schoolgirl online last year.
The pair exchanged messages on Snapchat over a period of months where she openly told him she was just 13-years-old.
The court heard Alshamsi, a university student in Abu Dhabi, told the girl he was just 16-years-old and he continued to groom her online.
In their messages they discussed having sex and he offered to travel to the UK so the pair could meet up.
Alshamsi booked a flight from Dubai and travelled to the UK landing on Christmas Eve last year.
He travelled to Brighton on December 27 where he had booked a £250-a-night seafront room with a balcony at the Hilton Brighton Metropole.
He then contacted the girl and ordered an Uber to bring her to the hotel - which boasts former famous guests including Princess Margaret, Sir Winston Churchill and Oscar Wilde.
Having never left home alone before, the girl arrived at the hotel and Alshamsi took her to Room 312 where he repeatedly committed sexual offences against her over a two day period.
Today at Lewes Crown Court, Alshamsi (pictured) was sentenced to six years in prison after he pleaded guilty to three charges of sexual activity with a child
Working on a tip-off police launched a hunt for the girl the following day and managed to pick up a trace from her mobile phone in Brighton.
They scoured the seafront for several hours before turning their attention to the Hilton Brighton Metropole.
The court heard the following day they found the girl wandering around in a hallway near the hotel foyer and took her into protective custody.
Alshamsi was discovered enjoying the wellness and spa and swimming pool on the lower ground floor.
As well as finding condoms, lubricant and vodka, police found a woman's razor and a boxed pink mobile phone which Alshamsi had bought the girl as well as discarded takeaway food wrappers.
The victim's family said the sexual offences have continued to have a huge and long-lasting impact on the teenager.
Her mother said her daughter was so traumatised she was on constant 'suicide watch' and was not allowed to go anywhere by herself, even the toilet.
She told the court: 'I am worried she is going to be a volcano and explode in some way. She wants life to be normal but he has taken away our little girl. She has been to doctor's and is on suicide watch.
'He knew what he was doing coming over here. He got her to leave home alone.'
She said the stress of the ordeal had led to the end of her marriage with the girl's father as he blamed her for giving the victim a mobile phone.
Will Saunders, prosecuting, said Alshamsi had shown clear 'grooming behaviour' and had planned his trip in detail.
He said the 'grooming' and 'planning' had all been done with sex in mind.
In mitigation Daniel Darnbrough, defending, said Alshamsi had brought shame family on his respectable family.
He said the university student had four sisters and was 'disgusted' by his own behaviour.
Mr Darnbrough said: 'He is wise to the shame he has brought to his family. His father travelled over to see him at an earlier hearing and that was very difficult for him.'
Sentencing him, Judge Mark van der Zwart, said: 'From your home you used social media to groom and lure a 13 year old girl from the safety of her parents and siblings. She was just a child, you were anything but. This was appallingly predatory behaviour.'
He also sentenced him to a sexual harm prevention order and said he would be deported when he is freed.
Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Sean Booth from the Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: 'This was a distressing case which showed the lengths Alshamsi was prepared to go to engage in sexual activity with a young teenage girl. She was vulnerable, and he exploited her trust.
'I would also like to praise the professionalism of our officers from Brighton Response and our Neighbourhood Policing Team who completed an extended search of the seafront and a meticulous search inside the hotel which ensured the victim was brought safely back to her family, and that Alshamsi was arrested swiftly.
'Thanks to this work, Alshamsi had no choice but to plead guilty to the offences when presented with the evidence from our investigation.'
He said the victim and her family had shown considerable 'bravery' throughout the investigation and she had received one-to-one support from specially-trained officers.
He said: 'We continue to encourage anyone who has been the victim of child sexual exploitation and sexual offences to come forward and report their experience to us.'
