Two teenage boys have been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with the assault of a boy in Worthing town centre.
It follows an incident in Liverpool Road at about 5.30pm on Monday, February 13, where a 16-year-old boy sustained life-threatening injuries after being stabbed.
He remains in hospital in a serious condition.
Police made five arrests in connection with the incident, and have been carrying out increased high-visibility patrols in the town centre to provide reassurance to the public.
A previous section 60 order is no longer in place, but a section 34 dispersal order will be in place in the town centre.
This grants powers to officers to require those suspected of being involved in anti-social behaviour to stay away from the area for 48 hours.
Following arrests made on February 14, two boys, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were charged with offences and were remanded to appear before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, February 16.
This included a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, who have both been charged with wounding with intent, affray, and possession of a knife or bladed article in a public place.
They have both been remanded in custody to await their next court appearance.
West Sussex local policing Superintendent Nick Dias said: “This has been a fast-paced investigation where officers have worked hard to identify suspects involved and make arrests.
“To provide further reassurance to the public we issued an order under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act to allow our officers to search people in Worthing town centre without grounds.
“This was to prevent the risk of further incidents taking place, and reflected the seriousness of the incident and our investigation.
“We have charged two suspects in connection with this incident, but we continue to appeal for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
“Sussex Police continues to respond to peoples’ concerns about anti-social behaviour from a small group of young people in and around the Worthing area.
“We are working closely with our partners, including Worthing District Council and key partners in Children’s Services to address these issues and keep our communities safe.”
Sussex Police can also confirm that a 13-year-old boy arrested on February 15 on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon in public has been bailed, pending further investigation.
A 13-year-old boy arrested on February 13 on suspicion of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm has been bailed, pending further enquiries.
A 17-year-old boy who was arrested on suspicion of the same offence on February 13 has been released without charge.
Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident are asked to report it to Sussex Police online and quote Operation Central.
