Man Charged After Rooftop Incident In St Leonards

A man has been charged and remanded in custody following an incident at a property in Sedlescombe Road on Tuesday, 29 April.

Police were called at around 12:30pm to reports of a disturbance inside the address.

A man was later seen on the roof of the property.

As a precaution, a road closure and cordon were put in place at the junctions of London Road and Duke Street to protect the public, officers and the individual involved.

The restrictions have since been lifted.

After several hours, the man came down from the roof safely and was not injured. He was arrested at the scene.

Dylan Battams, 30, of St Leonards, appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 1 May.

He has been charged with attempted assault occasioning grievous bodily harm, affray, causing a public nuisance, assaulting an emergency worker and six counts of criminal damage.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear in court again on 1 June.

Chief Inspector Sarah Taylor said police understood the disruption caused to residents and businesses, adding that public safety remained the priority throughout the incident.

She thanked the community for its patience while officers worked to bring the situation to a safe conclusion.