Family plea after man injured in Portslade 'robbery'
The family of a man who collapsed with serious head injuries after claiming he had been the victim of a robbery in Sussex has appealed for information.
James Scott McClements, 46, was found outside Lush in East Street, Portslade, at about 08:45 BST on Wednesday.
The previous night, he had spoken to a member of staff from the shop and said he had been robbed in Pavilion Gardens.
Mr McClements remains in a critical condition at Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre in Haywards Heath.
In a statement, his family said: "If anyone saw him that night and knows what happened, please let police know.
"It's extremely difficult for us to see him like this and to not know how he came to be in this serious condition."
Mr McClements, known as Scott, left his partner at Hove Lagoon at 16:45 BST the night before he was found.
He was seen on CCTV leaving Izzy's newsagent in Queen's Road about five-and-a-half hours later.
Det Insp Ian Still said: "We are keeping an open mind as to what led to Scott's head trauma."