Man brutally punched and stamped on in random homophobic attack at Liverpool petrol station
Shell Garage on Crosby Road North, where the alleged attack took place (Google Maps)
A man was left with serious head injuries after a random stranger at a Liverpool petrol station punched and stamped on him in a suspected homophobic hate crime.
The victim, a man in his 40s, had stopped to buy alcohol at the Shell Garage on Crosby Road North, in Liverpool, shortly after midnight on January 30.
He was punched from behind by a random attacker who hurled homophobic abuse at him and stamped on his hand when he fell to the floor.
Onlookers ran to help the victim, who was taken home in a taxi and later went to hospital to have his injured hand treated. The suspect is believed to have left the scene with a woman in a private hire taxi.
As CCTV enquiries proved negative, police are now appealing for anyone who witnessed or has dashcam footage of the assault.
Detective constable Jaclyn Rainford said: “This was a disgraceful, unprovoked attack on a man who had been out for a meal and was on the way home when he stopped at the petrol station.
“The verbal abuse of the victim also means we’re treating this as a hate crime.
“Were you in the petrol station or nearby when this happened? We want to speak to all of those members of the public who kindly came to the victim’s assistance but would also ask that anyone with dashcam can check and see if they captured the suspect getting into a taxi afterwards.
“Our enquiries to trace the taxi are ongoing but your information might be vital, so come forward and we will take positive action.
“There is no place in our society for hate crime and Merseyside Police is committed to maintaining the right of all our communities to be treated with fairness, dignity and respect.”
Witnesses can pass on information via @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
