A 15-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including homophobic and racial abuse.
Merseyside Police confirmed that officers stopped the teen on Nutgrove Road in Rainhill, after which he shouted homophobic abuse at officers. He was then arrested on suspicion of a public order offence as well as on suspicion of attempted robbery, actual bodily harm and racially/religiously aggravated common assault which related to an incident on Sunday, June 19.
The incident saw youths assault a man and make threats on Eltonhead Road, as well as racially abusing a woman nearby. The schoolboy has been conditionally bailed.
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Local Policing Inspector Jon Smith said: “We continue to investigate these appalling and unprovoked incidents, and I’d encourage any witnesses who have yet to come forward to do so, whether you saw the incident or captured anything on CCTV or dashcam.
“Merseyside Police is committed to tackling hate crime and violence across our communities. We would encourage all victims of hate crime to come forward as we have officers and staff dedicated to protecting victims who will make sure you are supported at every step as sensitively as possible.”
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’ on Facebook with reference 22000427604. You can also call 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org. You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
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