Man seriously injured after battle re-enactment

A man from West Sussex has been seriously injured following an incident during a living history demonstration at Bodiam Castle on Sunday.

Sussex Police said the man, from Horsham, was wearing body armour when his opponent re-enactor's sword entered his visor during a combat re-enactment just before 15:00 BST.

The 37-year-old suffered a head injury and is currently in a serious condition at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Det Insp Barry Chandler said the force is treating the incident as an "accident."

He said: "We are offering support to his family. His opponent, a 36-year-old man also from Horsham, and the organisers are helping us with our enquiries.

"We know the re-enactment had drawn a large crowd and understand that anyone who witnessed the scene could have found this distressing."

Anyone with photographs or videos of the interaction has been asked to contact police.

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