A FATHER-of-two spent a night in the cells after he was accused of writing “lies lies lies” on a Tory election campaign poster.

Nick Morgan, from Hove, has been charged with criminal damage after a billboard featuring serving councillor and Conservative parliamentary candidate Graham Cox was defaced.

A police patrol reported spotting a man writing on the poster near the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Kingsway, Hove.

The 47-year-old resident of Westbourne Grove, in Mr Cox’s ward, now faces going before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on April 30.

Mr Morgan said: “Keeping me overnight was properly unnecessary. I said I was not going to talk until I got a solicitor.”

The journalist was arrested just after 1am on Tuesday as he was travelling home from the cinema. He said he did not think Mr Cox’s campaign promises were true and was “amazed” someone he felt had performed “poorly” as a councillor was going forward to be an MP.

Mr Cox, who was a serving Sussex Police officer for 30 years, was informed by the police of the incident the next morning.

He told The Argus he “takes it on the chin” and said they have had “loads of their posters defaced”.

He said: “We have never reported it and I just shrugged my shoulders at it. The police phoned me at 8.30am and said: ‘I am contacting you to tell you we caught someone defacing one of your posters’.

“I said to them: ‘Thanks, it is great to hear you are out and about’.

“I was personally quite happy to have it dealt with as they see fit and was quite happy for him to be given a warning – I certainly did not wish for anything more than that.

“But unfortunately you cannot do that unless they admit the offence to the police.

“I think I have been quite a good ward councillor – but we have been in opposition.”

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Officers on patrol shortly before 1am on March 31 saw a man writing on a poster on display in Kingsway, Hove, using a marker pen.

“Nick Morgan, 47, of Westbourne Grove, Hove, has been charged with criminal damage.

“He was released on bail to appear at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on April 30.”