Woman ‘chased and attacked’ by stranger in Hastings park

Eyewitness Jake White said the woman was chased by a man shortly after she left the toilets in the park at about 12.10pm on Wednesday (March 24).

Mr White said the man waited for the woman to come out of the toilets before attacking her a few metres from the park rangers’ parking space on the path.

He chased after the man and shouted at him to stop after the attacker grabbed and kicked the woman.

The man jumped the river and ran to the café decking where he stood ‘with his hands on his hips and stared at families’ in the park, according to Mr White.

The man disappeared behind the café, Mr White said, before police arrived on the scene.

Police were given a full description of the man and an account of what happened before they began a search for him.

Sussex Police said at 4pm on Thursday (March 25) a man was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.

A police spokesman said: “At 12.15pm on Wednesday (24 March) police officers received a third-party report of a man assaulting a woman in Alexandra Park.

“Officers conducted an area search but neither the woman or man were found.

“An investigation was launched by officers and following the victim and a number of witnesses coming forward a 26 year-old man from St Leonards was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence. At 4pm on Thursday (25 March) he remains in custody while the investigation is ongoing.”