Hastings man to stand trial after stabbing in Priory Meadow

Nathan Stephen Prentice, 37, was arrested after a 32-year-old local man was attacked on Saturday, October 12.

The bricklayer, of Nelson Road, Hastings, was charged with affray, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon, namely a flick knife.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him and is next due in court for trial at Lewes Crown Court with a warned date of April 6, according to a spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

On October 12, a police spokesman said: “Police are appealing for witnesses following a stabbing in Hastings.

“Officers responded to reports of a fight at Priory Meadow Shopping Centre around 11.45am on Saturday 12 October.

“A man was taken to Conquest Hospital in St Leonards with head wounds. His injuries are not life-threatening.”

Inspector Olivia Carroll, of the Hastings prevention team, added: “This was an isolated incident involving a number of people possibly known to each other, and we have no information at this time to suggest there is a threat to the wider community.

“A knife has been recovered from the scene, and our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”