Two men were punched and kicked in a homophobic attack in Liverpool City Centre.
The men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were both attacked after walking past two other men on Dale Street, near Moorfields train station.
Merseyside Police said the incident was reported at around 12.45am on Saturday, April 29 and are now issuing CCTV images of three people who could have information to assist with their enquiries.
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One of the victims was punched in the face and then kicked while on the ground, causing serious injuries to his jaw, leg and foot. While the other was also punched and sustained injuries to his face and bruising to his head.
Detective Inspector Alan Nuttall said: “This was a despicable and unprovoked attack which has resulted in two men sustaining injuries. To be attacked because of your sexuality is appalling and we’re determined to find those responsible and remove them from our streets.
"Let me be clear, there is no place for hate crime in our city and we have a zero-tolerance approach to these incidents. We are hoping that this assault was witnessed by others, so if you have any information please come forward to help our investigation.
“Since the assault, we have carried out extensive CCTV enquiries and believe the man and woman pictured in these images could have information. If this is you pictured, or you recognise these people, please let us know.”
Merseyside Police said they are committed to tackling hate crimes across all communities. They encourage all victims of hate crimes to come forward as they have officers and staff dedicated to protecting victims who can offer support “as sensitively as possible”.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 23000359977.
You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
If you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK runs a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org.
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