Men pushed into canal in anti-gay attack
Police are appealing for witnesses after a homophobic assault on two men who were walking along a Leicester canal path.
The incident happened at around 1.30am on Saturday March 20th, when the two victims, aged 33 and 35, were approached from behind by a group of four men as they walked along the canal behind Tudor Road.
One of the men was pulled to the ground while the other was punched and kicked. Both victims were then pushed into the canal.
As the suspects ran off, one shouted homophobic abuse at the pair.
The two victims then walked to the city until they found police officers to report the attack to. One man was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary for treatment to his injuries.
One of the suspects is described as white, about 5’8” tall, of stocky build aged between 25 to 35.. He had mousy brown hair and was wearing a white t-shirt while the rest of his clothes were dark.
A second man from the group is described as white, about 6’2” tall, aged between 25 and 30 years-old and had very short hair. He was wearing a dark t-shirt and trousers and spoke with a local accent.
There is no description for the other two men.
PC Paul Smith, the officer investigating the incident, said: “Both victims were very distressed by the assault and one of them had to have surgery on an injury to his face.
“We would like anyone who witnessed this nasty assault to contact us immediately. The homophobic nature of this is not something we will tolerate and I hope that anyone who has information about the four men responsible will call us immediately and help us with our enquiries.”
Anyone with any information about this incident is asked to contact police on 0116 222 2222 or Crimestoppers, which is free and anonymous on 0800 555 111.