THE brother of a man who died 23 years ago today spoke of his decades-long battle to bring those responsible to justice at a vigil.

Dozens of people, including MP for Worthing West Sir Peter Bottomley, attended the event outside Brighton police station in John Street in memory of Jay Abatan, a 42-year-old man who died after an attack outside the Ocean Rooms in Morley Street, Brighton, on January 29 1999.

Crowds gathered to chant for justice and listen to speeches and a poem from supporters and from Jay's brother Michael.

The Argus: Jay Abatan died in January 1999 after an attack in Morley Street in Brighton Jay Abatan died in January 1999 after an attack in Morley Street in Brighton

Addressing the crowd, Michael said: "Jay was a hard-working person, was a wonderful brother to me and he was always there to help you. He was a decent, law-abiding family man.

"Jay was robbed of his life 23 years ago and I am going to keep on fighting for justice."

Michael called on witnesses to the incident to come forward to help bring the perpetrators to justice.

He said: "It's sad that we're in 2022 and there are a lot of black families who are trying to get justice for their loved ones, and police failings are at the heart of it.

"I don't understand why the justice system is not geared towards getting justice for everyone."

Jay and Michael had been out celebrating Jay’s promotion with PriceWaterhouseCoopers when they were attacked as they waited for a taxi.

Jay suffered multiple injuries after hitting his head on the pavement and died five days later in hospital. No one faced trial for his death.

There were two police investigations, but neither has led to a suspect being brought to trial.

The force was later criticised over its handling of the investigation.

The Argus: Sir Peter Bottomley spoke to Jay's brother Michael at the vigilSir Peter Bottomley spoke to Jay's brother Michael at the vigil

Speaking to The Argus, Sir Peter Bottomley said: "Jay and Michael were constituents and I have supported Michael all I can and I go on doing that until there is justice for Jay.

"The fatal attack was a crime. It should have been solved within days.

"The police made mistakes to begin with and now there's more evidence available. I want the police to take it up to see if they can bring charges the way late charges were brought successfully in the Stephen Lawrence case."

Zita Holbourne, national vice-president of the PCS union - which Jay used to be a member of, accused the police of institutional racism and said that Jay's family are unable to get closure until they get answers and those who are guilty are punished for their crime.

She said: "The institutional racism that exists in the police and the justice system, I believe, is a key reason why we haven't seen justice for Jay to this day.

"There were so many occasions when they could have taken this case to the stage it needed to be where those who are guilty of the crime of murdering Jay were punished for their crime and went through the justice system.

"The family have not been able to grieve for 23 years. They haven't had peace in their lives. Nobody should have to go through that."

Retired Chief Constable Nick May previously said the force has “apologised publicly and often for failings in 1999”.

He said the force had “completely updated and reorganised the way it investigates” crimes since the case.

He said officers were “committed to investigating any new information” if anything came to light but “there were no grounds to reopen an investigation in the absence of further evidence”.

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.