A man and his husband were told they were “not welcome” as they walked together just weeks before another gay man was violently attacked in Walthamstow, east London.
Police say a man and his husband were homophobically attacked and told they were “not welcome”, just weeks before another violent attack on a gay man in the Walthamstow area of London.
The second attack in early November left a 31-year-old victim with a black eye, cuts and bruises.
In the first incident, the married couple were approached by a man who asked them if he could take a picture of them, and then asked if they were gay. When the couple started to walk away, the suspect then grabbed hold of the victim and said “you are not welcome” and grappled with him.
The victim was then pulled away by his husband before they walked away and called the police. The victim was not injured in this incident.
Second attack
In the second incident on Saturday, 4 November, the victim, a 31-year-old man, was walking along Hoe Street, E17 with two friends.
They were approached by three men who were unknown to them. One of them punched the victim in the face and shouted homophobic abuse at him. The punch caused the victim to fall to the floor, and the attacker made off.
The victim suffered a black eye and cuts and bruises – he did not require hospital treatment
The victims, who were both left extremely shaken after the incidents, provided detailed descriptions of the attacker from which the two e-fits were produced.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan police said, “Based on these descriptions and the locations where the assaults happened, officers have not ruled out the possibility that the attacks may well have been carried out by the same man.
“Any witnesses or anyone with any information is asked to call Waltham Forest police on 101 or contact via Twitter @MetCC.
“To give information anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org”.
