[ from the Brighton & Hove Gazette &Herald July 30 1983 ]
THE American owner of Brighton's vandalised Duke of York cinema, William Heine, said this week he was determined to re-open it as planned on August 4.
Mr Heine estimated his repair bill would be £30,000 following the weekend break-in by punk rockers who held a pop concert in the cinema. Police were called and arrested 86 people.
Projection equipment was smashed, seating ripped up, windows broken and graffiti scrawled on the walls.
But Mr Heine said: "In the face of senseless destruction the only way you can fight back is to build with determination - and I am quite determined to stick to my original re-opening date."
He added that he was astonished at the extent of the damage. "When the police said they had a destructive binge they were not far from the truth," he said. "
The whole place is in a shambles. They have ripped, smeared, shattered, splattered - there just weren't too many things they didn't touch. I'm fairly pleased they left the plants in the window - but that is about it." Mr Heine plans to install a new sound system, a new screen and new seating before the re-opening.