Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witness to a homophobic attack which took place in the city centre in the early hours of this morning.
The assault took place around 3.10am when two men were walking on Johnston Terrace, heading towards the Lawnmarket. They were approached and verbally abused by three other men, one of whom punched the victim to the ground before he and one of his companions then kicked him about the face. After the attack, the three men ran off and were chased by two passers-by into Castle Terrace, where they lost sight of them.
PC Neil McIntyre, who is leading the investigation, said: “This was a brutal, unprovoked and homophobic attack on an innocent member of the public and I am very keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident, particularly the two men who came to the victim’s aid before giving chase to the three suspects.
“We have descriptions of two of the men who carried out this vicious assault, and both are described as being white British men in their mid-20s, with one being 5 foot 6 inches in height and the other being 6 foot tall. The first man had short, dirty blonde hair, was clean shaven and was wearing a black cardigan or jumper, while his taller companion had olive skin and black hair and was wearing a white top with long sleeves.
“Anyone who witnessed this assault, came to the aid of the victim or gave chase to the suspects, is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or they can provide the information anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
