A man and a woman attacked two Brighton men and robbed one of them on the seafront near the bottom of West Street.
The victims were on the Lower Esplanade when they were approached and asked if they had anything on them.
They said no. But the man tried to reach inside one of the victim’s pockets before pushing him, causing him to fall backwards to the ground.
The woman grabbed the other victim’s mobile phone and the man repeatedly punched him in the face, causing a cut above his eye.
The man and woman ran off.
Detectives issued an appeal this afternoon (Monday 4 June) for witnesses to come forward to the attack which happened just after midnight on Sunday 27 May.
A police spokesman said that the same couple were believed to be responsible for stealing a bag from a ride on the Palace Pier a few hours earlier, between 9.30pm and 10.30pm.
Anyone who saw either the theft of the handbag or the incident on the beach is asked to contact Sussex Police on 101 or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
A 25-year-old man from Croydon and a 17-year-old from Caterham have been arrested on suspicion of robbery and have been bailed until Wednesday 11 July pending further inquiries.
