Appeal for information following hate crime in Liscard

We are appealing for information following a reported hate crime in Liscard on Saturday 8 April.

At around 8.55pm, we received a report that a man in his 30s was subjected to verbal abuse and also threatened by three males.

During the incident, the suspects directed insulting comments towards him about his disability, as well as threatened violence towards him. 

They approached the victim while he was walking on Seaview Road and followed him for around 15 minutes.

The victim was physically unharmed but left distressed by the ordeal.

The three males were all wearing hoods and one was riding a pedal bike.

Officers are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident, or with any information to get in touch so we can locate the suspects. 

Detective Chief Inspector Louise Birchall said: “We simply will not tolerate such abuse on Merseyside and I’m sure the overwhelming majority of people would agree that such a vile hate crime has no place in our communities. 

"All forms of hate crime are a force priority and we will continue to work hard to make sure people don’t suffer in silence and have the confidence to report it. I’d also like to take this opportunity to reassure every community that we serve across Merseyside that we do take this crime extremely seriously and that it will be dealt with sensitively and, when necessary, robustly.

“This occurred on a Saturday evening and there may have been people around who would have witnessed this incident. If you saw or heard anything, or captured any footage on mobile phone then please let us know. Information you hold could be vital to our ongoing investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre with reference 23000298983. You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information.

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.

Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals. A list of locations can be viewed here: merseyside-third-party-hate-crime-reporting-centres.pdf

Dedicated support for victims of hate crime is also available through the Victim Care Merseyside service delivered by Citizens Advice. They can be contacted at [email protected] or by calling 0151 522 1400 ext. 5006.