Woman, 19, stabbed in Crawley town centre on Christmas Day

At 3.41am on Wednesday, December 25, police were flagged down by the woman in Church Walk who reported suffering facial wounds during an assault, a Sussex Police spokeswoman said.

She added: “Officers immediately conducted an area search and an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm. He was subsequently released under investigation.”

Later the same day, medical examination confirmed the woman had also sustained a stab wound to her back.

The man was then re-arrested at an address in the town on Monday, December 30, on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, according to police.

The spokeswoman added: “He has been questioned and released on conditional bail until 24 January.”

Miles Ockwell, superintendent for Crawley, said: “We are aware of a video linked to this case being circulated on a number of social media platforms.

“As this is an active criminal investigation, we now ask people to refrain from sharing the footage further which may impact on future judicial proceedings.”

The victim has been contacted and updated on this development, police added.