Teenage boy charged on suspicion of stabbing in Eastbourne
Two further arrests have been made by Sussex Police, both being teenagers
A teenage boy has been charged with grievous bodily harm following a stabbing on a bus in Eastbourne.
Police were alerted to an incident taking place on the number 1 bus service which had been stationed on the Cornfield Road area of the town at around 7:40pm on Saturday (April 5th).
During the incident, the boy was approached by a group of other teenagers and was eventually assaulted as the bus was stopped next to the nearby Co-op shop.
In the attack, the teenager was stabbed, and when emergency services arrived at the scene, the man was taken to hospital; the injuries sustained were deemed not to be "life-threatening" and he was eventually discharged.
Following lines of enquiry, Sussex Police arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted robbery and on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
After this, the boy was released on bail, but has since been charged with the offences, and appeared before Brighton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday (April 9th).
The boy was charged with his original counts of attempted robbery and grievous bodily harm, but also with attempting to pervert the course of justice and with possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Following his appearance at the court, the boy will now appear before Brighton Youth Court on April 29th.
On top of this, two further arrests were made by officers - with a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy both being arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery and causing grievous bodily harm.
Speaking on the incident, Detective Inspector Sophie McGarel from Sussex Police said that the investigation has been moving at pace.
"This has been a complex and fast-moving investigation, where we have provided support to the victim and sought to ensure public safety as our first priority.
“We understand the public’s concern about this incident, and officers have conducted increased patrols in the town centre to provide reassurance.
“Officers have worked hard to gather evidence to ensure the swift progress of this investigation. We continue to ask for witnesses or anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
“We continue to ask the public not to speculate about the incident on social media as this may jeopardise the legal proceedings.”
Those who may have any added information regarding this incident can continue to reach out to Sussex Police by calling 101 and quoting incident reference number 1234 from April 5th.