Teens attack gay men with knife in homophobic attack in Liverpool
One of the men suffered serious injuries and required hospital treatment
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A group of teenagers attacked two gay men with a knife in a homophobic attack in Liverpool.
The two men, who are both in their 30s, were walking home over the weekend when three male youths – aged between 12 and 15 – approached them, according to police.
The teens started hurling homophobic abuse before one of them pulled out a knife and assaulted them.
Both men were taken to hospital and one of them was left with serious injuries to the head and neck, while the other escaped with a minor hand injury, the Metro reported.
Detective Inspector Tara Denn called for witnesses to come forward to assist in the investigation.
Denn said: “This was an appalling and unprovoked attack on two men simply making their way home and we are working tirelessly to locate those responsible.
“Two men have been left with significant injuries tonight and the hate and violence that has been inflicted on them is simply unacceptable and won’t be tolerated on the streets of Merseyside.
“I would ask anyone in Manningham Road or the surrounding areas this evening to please come forward with any information.
“You may have witnessed the incident or youths making off from the scene, or even have CCTV or dashcam footage, and I would urge you to please get in touch with police.
“Likewise, if you know who is responsible for this crime, please do the right thing and let us know.
“There is absolutely no place for hate crime in society and we know how much of a massive impact it has on victims.
“I want to reach out to the LBGT community, who I know will be deeply saddened by this news, and reassure you that we stand with you and if you report such incidents to the police, we will do our utmost to support and protect you and bring those responsible to justice.
“We are passionate about maintaining the right of all our communities to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect, and by working closely with our partners will continue to work to eradicate hate crime of all forms.
“Victims can report directly to the police where experienced hate crime officers will treat them with sensitivity and compassion, or via third party reporting centres in fire stations, citizen advice bureaus and hospitals where the information will be passed on.”