You couldn't make it up

"grappled to the floor by police using batons and pepper spray after he was caught selling mistletoe without a licence"

They don't like that sort of thing in Eastbourne at all.

reported 23rd dec that he was selling holly etc on xmas eve, do elves time travel?

on Christmas Eve last year

just took the 364 days to come to court then.

Ex-Royal Marine Paul Douglas, 46, rolled on the ground in a tussle with a uniformed officer in front of dozens of horrified shoppers on Christmas Eve last year, a court was told.

I am surprised it only took 1 officer to bring him under control.

So the headline perhaps should have read "man dressed as an elf selling stuff without a licence resists arrest"?

And I'm sure the shoppers weren't 'horrified' they were just being nosey & hanging around to see what was going on. I wonder how many people are ever actually 'horrified'?

On the first day of christmas my true love gave to me
one sense of humour by-pass

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me

Two pepper sprayings