A suspected stalker is charged with having weapons and making threats of violence, including arson, towards a woman.
Sussex Police said this afternoon (Monday 16 February): “Police in Brighton have charged a man with stalking and weapons offences.
“A woman in her thirties reported receiving repeated unwanted messages, videos and voice notes threatening her with serious violence and to burn down her home between Wednesday 31 December 2025 and Saturday 7 February.
“An investigation was launched and Desi Hayward, 33, of Falmer Road, in Brighton, was arrested on suspicion of stalking involving fear of violence.
“He was further arrested on two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a private place after two bladed weapons were found in a property linked to him.
“Hayward has been charged with all three offences and remanded in custody to appear at Lewes Crown Court on Monday 9 March.”
Last Monday (9 February), he appeared before Worthing magistrates to answer the charges.
The court was told that the offensive weapons found by police were a ninja sword and a machete.
Today, the Woodingdean man was due to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court to answer a charge of assaulting a woman from Whitehawk by beating her.
