Police today launched an appeal to track down a mystery witness to two incidents in Kings Road, Brighton, opposite the Mercure Hotel earlier in September.
On Monday 8 September at around 2am, and again on Wednesday 10 September at around 12.30am, at a public shelter in Kings Road, near the junction with Norfolk Street, some street drinkers were approached by two men who got out of a van, one of whom is alleged to have stolen a mobile phone on the first occasion.
On the second occasion there was altercation between the drinkers and the two men.
One of the drinkers, a 58-year old man, was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, but was later released without charge.
One of the men who got out of the van, a 40-year old from Hampton Hill, Middlesex, was arrested on suspicion of common assault, damaging his police cell, and assaulting a police custody staff member, and was later bailed until 16 October while enquiries continue.
The other man who got out of the van, a 50-year old from Whitton, Middlesex, was arrested on suspicion of common assault and was bailed until 9 October.
PC Sue Williams said; “The background to these incidents is not clear at present and we are still working to establish the full circumstances.
“That passer-by, of whom we currently have no description, and anyone else who saw what happened on either occasion, is asked to contact Sussex Police via 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting serial 24 of 10/09. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
The real story here is that the incident occurred at one of the “public shelters” (i.e. the Edwardian covered seating on Kings Road). All of it is basically used by the homeless these days to sleep on (and indeed they run a soup kitchen from the one beside the Peace Statue)…
…however for some bizarre reason, the ‘Seafront Officers’ have removed the seats from the one just to the west of the King Alfred, because it “encouraged rough sleeping”… ?!? So are they going to remove ALL the seating from all of them??