Eastbourne landlord '˜strangled' and '˜punched' in violent town centre assault

Jeff Roll was injured in an assault in his bar

An Eastbourne landlord says he was strangled and punched by three men in a violent attack in his own bar.

Jeff Roll, of the Phoenix in Seaside Road, had to have his eye glued after he was ‘laid upon’ on Saturday night (December 17) by the men he had asked to leave.

The father said, “They went behind the bar, I said ‘you can’t do that you are going to have to leave’. I got laid upon.

“Before I knew it one of them started to strangle me from behind and another punched me. My eye had to be glued.”

He said his 64-year-old father Colin was knocked unconscious in the attack. The men, in their 20s, had been part of a larger group of around 12-15 other people, he said, who were all smartly dressed and of mixed ages as though they had been to a Christmas party.

One of them, Mr Roll said, was holding a small Christmas tree.

His wife Emma said, “He wasn’t able to do anything about it. That does affect you mentally. He’s not been himself.