THE police have been blasted for their decision to prosecute a group of film-makers who staged a Christmas prank in Eastbourne town centre.

The Argus reported yesterday five police cars turned up and the film-makers were hauled before the courts and convicted over the publicity stunt.

They had staged a kidnapping of Santa, bundling him into the back of a BMW close to the Coca Cola Christmas truck in Eastbourne last December.

Roger Thomas, a former chairman of East Sussex County Council and now a Wealden District Councillor for Heathfield, said: “I am appalled that Sussex Police have acted in such a silly way. There was absolutely no need for it to have gone that far.

“The young people may well feel on reflection that they should have warned the police what they were going to do, but they are young people and they can sometimes make mistakes.

“Let’s put this in perspective. In Heathfield, for example, we are losing our local PCSOs, so it seems to me that Sussex Police have got their priorities completely wrong.

“I call on the Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne to personally step in, and tell the chief constable Giles York that such behaviour from the police is completely unacceptable.

“It is not fair that these talented young people now have criminal records.”

Jamie Rainsley, 22, from Eastbourne, staged the stunt with five colleagues to promote his company True Mobster.

Daniel Jenkinson is CEO/managing director at The Vapour Trail, which has shops across Sussex.

He said: “My shop gets broken into four times in seven months with over £10,000 worth of damage and stock gone and those who did it get let off with a caution.

“Some guys make a little prank in the middle of town and get thrown into court... I mean what is going on?”

The pranksters stopped outside the Arndale Centre before Jamie and a friend jumped out and bundled Santa Claus – who was involved in the hoax – into the back of the BMW before driving off on December 18.

All six admitted using threatening or abusive behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress and each received a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100.

Sergeant Ed Ripley said: “Due to the impact on the public who were attending the event it was considered to be in the public interest to prosecute this offence.

“The incident which was staged caused alarm and distress to spectators. Unfortunately, the impact of their actions was not considered by any of the people involved and this really affected members of the public, some of whom came forward to provide statements to police to describe how it had affected them.

“There were a number of families who witnessed the stunt and some children are still unsettled by what they witnessed.”