Gay man ‘beaten, bitten and spat on’ in Nottingham attack
Lewis North was attacked on a night out in Nottingham. (Credit: Lewis North)
A 32-year-old gay man has been left bloody and bruised after a suspected homophobic attack in Nottingham.
Business-owner Lewis North said he was punched, spat at and bitten, as he walked home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
North told PinkNews that on Saturday (6 January) he was enjoying “the best day of 2024 so far” which included a hike, bowling with friends from the New Foresters, a Nottingham LGBTQ+ venue, and a night out.
But while walking alone through a shopping centre, he says he was attacked by a man who had been following him, was breathing down his neck.
“He’s telling me that he’s going to beat me up and going to kill me,” North said. “I get absolutely slammed to the ground and my hat goes flying. He starts punching the living s**t out of me.”
The man called him “a f***ing gay boy” and a “f****t”, North went on to claim.
The attacker asked him if he thought that’s it’s OK to be gay and whether he should be allowed to walk the streets, calling him “f***ing scum,” he continued.
The attacker bit his ear and spat all over him, North said.
After pressing the SOS alert on his phone, North was able to call emergency services and his friends.
Chief inspector James Walker, hate crime lead for Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We take all allegations of violence and hate crime very seriously and officers responded quickly to an assault in Milton Street on January 7 at around 2.35am.
“The victim was supported by officers at the scene after he was punched in the face.
“We arrested a 22-year-old man for actual bodily harm. Currently, we are treating this as a hate crime. Investigations are ongoing and we continue to support the victim.”
The attack has left North feeling “scared” and “upset”.
He told PinkNews: “I don’t want to go back to [the location], but I don’t need to change the way I live my life because of one vicious attack which I didn’t cause.
“I’m scared of walking on my own at the moment, but I’m taking steps to get me back to normal, to make sure I will come out of this stronger.”
