Police are searching for three boys aged 12 to 15 after two men were seriously injured in a homophobic knife attack in Liverpool. The victims, both in their 30s, were walking along Manningham Road in the Anfield area at around 9.20pm on Saturday when they were approached by the youths, who made homophobic insults before one produced a knife and assaulted them.
One man sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries to his head and neck, while the other suffered a minor hand injury. Detective Inspector Tara Denn of Merseyside Police described the attack as 'appalling and unprovoked' and appealed for witnesses or dashcam footage. She said one suspect was wearing a dark 'bubble' coat and another was riding a bike.
The assault is the latest in a series of homophobic attacks involving teenagers. Earlier this month, five people aged 15 to 18 were arrested after punching a woman and her girlfriend on a London bus when they refused to kiss on demand. A week later, two women were hit by an object thrown from a car in Southampton while kissing in the street.
Data shows homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have more than doubled in England and Wales over five years, with over 2,500 people under 19 arrested on suspicion of such assaults between 2014 and 2017. Stonewall's Laura Russell said the attack is 'another upsetting reminder of how much we still have to do for LGBT equality', noting that four in five anti-LGBT hate crimes go unreported.
