Perched on the rugged Sussex coast, East Dean's dramatic cliff face has borne witness to a haunting apparition. In 1973, a pair of policemen and a coastguard spotted a man trapped at the base of the cliffs. They quickly summoned a lifeboat to help him, but when the rescue teams arrived, the figure had vanished into thin air. The area is steeped in history, having been the site where an excise man was lured to his death by smugglers, and it's here that the phantom is believed to reappear.

Historical records reveal that the excise man met his demise in this very spot, a victim of the illicit activities that once plagued these shores. The 1973 sighting sparked speculation that the trapped figure was the restless spirit of the excise man, doomed to relive his final moments. While the witnesses didn't report any malevolent intent, their experience left an indelible mark. The incident remains a fascinating example of a haunting manifestation, with the exact nature of the apparition still shrouded in mystery.