Three men wanted over the alleged rape of a woman inside a Rolls-Royce gave themselves up to police to avoid being exposed on Crimewatch.

One of the suspects heard the case was to feature on the show and called police amid fears they were to be publicly shamed.

He said all three, aged 34, 26 and 25 and from Brighton, would hand themselves in provided a reconstruction of the incident was pulled from the show.

Detectives agreed and the men were arrested just hours before the reconstruction, CCTV footage and other material was to be aired on Wednesday night.

Viewers were informed that the appeal had been scrapped after publicity about the programme led one of the men to telephone police.

The three men turned up at Eastbourne police station in Grove Road, and were arrested and bailed to reappear on September 29.

Sussex Police spokeswoman Nikki Marshall said: "We'd like to thank the local media for their assistance. This has been a very positive development in the inquiry."

The Argus told how police decided to make a nationwide appeal after previous attempts to trace the three men had failed.

The men were wanted after a 36-year-old woman was allegedly raped following a night out at King's Nightclub in Langney Road, Eastbourne, early on February 13.

She was waiting outside the club with a female friend when three men approached them and offered them a lift home in a Rolls-Royce.

The women agreed and all five of them walked through Eastbourne town centre towards the car in Hyde Gardens.

As they drove through the Langney area, the car stopped to allow one of the women out to smoke a cigarette and she was joined by the driver.

However, as her friend was left in the back seat, two of the men reportedly pounced on her and she was subjected to a terrible ordeal.

The victim's friend saw the commotion and tried to open the door to free her but she was thwarted by the driver.

As her friend was being attacked, she ran off to seek help and found a male friend. But shortly after he arrived the car drove off and the attackers escaped.

The distraught victim, from Eastbourne, was later thrown out of the car by an off-licence in Priory Road, Langney.