Shoreham kebab shop owner chases oil theft suspects to Brighton

The kebab shop owner chased the men from the Charcoal Grill on Shoreham High Street

A kebab shop owner has described how he chased two men from Shoreham to Brighton after lying in wait for them to steal cooking oil from his premises.

Cuma Ale Aslan, 50, owner of the Charcoal Grill in Shoreham, was "punched and kicked" when he confronted the suspects on Saturday.

He suspected them of stealing waste oil on multiple occasions from drums behind his High Street restaurant.

His intervention led to two arrests and police have praised his bravery.

Mr Aslan described how the men tried to escape, but he got in his car and gave chase.

The confrontation happened at the back of the kebab shop just before 07:00 BST on Saturday.

'Really traumatic'

The men assaulted Mr Aslan before making off in a Transit-type van along the A259 in the direction of Brighton.

While Mr Aslan began to follow them, his son rang the police.

After a search, the van was spotted by officers and finally stopped in Western Road, Brighton, about six miles from the kebab shop.

Two men, aged 41 and 50, from Enfield in north London, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and causing actual bodily harm, Sussex Police said. They have since been released under investigation.

A police spokesman said: "Thanks to the prompt and brave reaction of the owner, and the response of our officers who also spotted and tracked the vehicle, these arrests were made."

Despite the force's praise, Mr Aslan's son, Omer, said his father was very upset about what had happened.

He said: "They beat him, kicked him in the head. We had to take him to hospital. He is not well.

"It was really traumatic."