A BUSINESS owner fears being branded a devil worshipper after vandals targeted his shopfront.

CCTV footage shows the moment a man sprayed the eyes of a family pictured in the window at the Brighton Bed Centre in Portland Road, Hove.

Along with a woman, the man brazenly stares at the CCTV cameras before blotting out the eyes of the children and parents and daubing fake moustaches.

Store owner Stuart Morris said the picture, which is situated opposite a busy bus stop and primary school, looks “demonic”.

He said: “They were caught red handed, the CCTV shows them doing it.

“Obviously they have had something to drink and were walking along, having a joint or something and were staggering.

“They must have thought it would be a really funny idea. He kept looking at the camera and smiling.

“But they are good cameras and got a clear image of him. It gives a really wrong impression.

The Argus:

“It looks like we are devil worshippers or something. The graffiti faces children at the primary school and a busy bus stop, so they have been exposed to it.”

Mr Morris runs the store which has been selling beds for more than 50 years, while his brother looks after manufacturing specialist beds in the workshop behind.

The centre, which employs 15 people, was voted Business of the Year in Brighton and Hove in 2019.

But now Mr Morris fears damage to the reputation of the company, as well as the clean up costs.

He said: “It is extremely frustrating for someone to think that they can just come along and graffiti our property. It’s disgraceful.

“We will have to get some professionals in to clear it, it looks demonic. It is not the right image for a family bed store at all.”

Video footage showed how a man and woman approached the front of the shop at 3.48am on Saturday, September 21.

The Argus:

After a woman appears to light up a cigarette, the bearded man takes out an object from his pocket and begins to spray the windows.

He is seen smirking at one of the security cameras, before walking off up School Road with his companion.

Mr Morris said staff tried to remove the graffiti and clear it away, but the spray paint isn’t coming off, and so he will need to call in professional cleaners for the job.

The matter has been reported to the police, he said.

Police are investigating, and the crime reference is DP26424-19-4747-00.