Woman '˜attacked by stranger' in Eastbourne park

Samantha Stevens, 38, of Seaside, was at Roselands Park around 11am with her niece, nine, and cousin, four, when an unknown man approached her.

According to Ms Stevens, he pushed her and went on to punch her three times in the face and stubbed his cigarette out in her hair.

“The children are going to remember this forever,” she said, “I’m more worried about them than me, they don’t want to go back to that park.

“This man approached my niece and then me. He pushed me, so I pushed him back. It was very intimidating.

“He kept pushing me, then he punched me in the face and stubbed his cigarette in my hair. I think he was drunk.

“It’s made me feel cross and sad and I don’t want to go outside.

“It’s made me feel like I can’t take my kids out to the park on a Sunday. I want him to be found.”

Samantha said he was white, looked to be in his 60s and had a Geordie accent and very short hair.

A spokesperson from Sussex Police said, “A woman reported to police that she had been assaulted by a man in the Roseland Park area, Eastbourne, after she asked him to leave the area as he was drinking in the children’s play area.

“The man punched her on the shoulder and then walked off. Officers carried out a search of the area but could not find the suspect.

“The victim was not injured but left shaken. He is white, aged about 65, 5ft 7ins tall and was wearing glasses, dark brown chinos and a striped top. He was carrying a Tesco carrier bag.”

Anyone who witnessed the assault or recognises the suspect should contact police by emailing [email protected] or ring 101 quoting serial 538 of 13/11.

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