Police are hunting a rapist who attacked a young woman on Brighton beach.

The 25-year-old victim was assaulted on a beach just east of Palace Pier on Tuesday night.

Afterwards she ran to a phone box and called police, at about midnight.

Full details were only released by the police today.

The victim, visiting from Aldershot, was at a karaoke bar on the pier where she met a woman called Keeley or Hayley.

Both women later met a man on the pier called Chris and all three later went to the Revenge night club in the Old Steine.

When they left Chris offered to escort the victim to where she was staying.

They walked on to the beach where the man attacked her.

He is 6ft 2in with ginger hair and a ginger goatee beard and was wearing a brown jacket.

The woman was taken to a victim suite and attended to by medical staff.

Detective Sergeant Graham Stickings said: "This is a rape investigation and I need to hear from anyone, either on the pier or at Revenge, who saw these three people. I am especially keen to talk to the woman, Hayley or Keeley."