Rise in homophobic attacks in the North West

Police report rise in homophobic attacks Credit: PA images

Police forces in Greater Manchester and Merseyside have reported a rise in the number of violent homophobic offences recorded so far this year. Gay rights charity Stonewall has expressed concern about a spate of "particularly violent" homophobic attacks in recent months.

The charity's spokesman Richard Lane said: "We know that homophobic hate crimes are a real issue in the UK. One in six LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) people have experienced a homophobic hate crime or incident in the last three years.

"We have seen a number of stories in the press in recent months concerning some particularly violent homophobic attacks in the UK.

"These instances we've read about are most definitely concerning, as are any cases of homophobic attacks or bullying whether at home or abroad."

Last week detectives in Manchester launched an investigation after a man promoting an LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) rugby team was attacked and left with a broken jaw in the city's Canal Street gay village.

The assault came eight hours after two men were beaten by a 15-strong gang in a separate attack nearby after singing show tunes on a tram, an attack which prompted a protest sing-along on the network by a gay and lesbian choir.

  • Greater Manchester Police recorded 278 violent offences between January and October, up from 231 in 2013.

  • Merseyside Police recorded 65 violent homophobic crimes between January and October, up from 51 last year.

Some forces reported a fall in the number of violent homophobic crimes recorded in 2014 but with two months of the year remaining.

  • Cheshire Police recorded 16 violent homophobic crimes from January to October, compared with 26 in 2013.

  • Lancashire Police recorded 45 violent homophobic offences between January and October, compared with 53 in 2013.