Police are appealing for witnesses after two teenage boys were subjected to homophobic abuse by a gang in a Basingstoke shop, last month.
The 17-year-old and 18-year-old partners were pushed and shouted at on 12 February at around 3pm in CEX on Wote Street.
The gang consisted of four or five men between the ages of 18 and 25, varying in build and wearing hoods and hats. They spoke with local accents.
PC Aiden Blackwell of Hampshire Constabulary said: “It is not acceptable for people to suffer this kind of abuse due to their sexuality and I would urge anyone who knows anything about this incident to contact me as soon as possible.”
The constabulary have made it clear that incidents of a homophobic or transphobic nature are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
They urge all people who have been victims of homophobic abuse or crime to come forward and allow the police to put it right.
A spokesperson told proud2serve.net: “We aim to record, investigate and detect all homophobic and transphobic incidents, so if you have been a target of hate crime, because you are, or have been perceived to be, lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender we’d like you to report it.”
Anyone with more information on this incident or to report another hate crime should call Hampshire Police on 0845 045 45 45.
