A student was left badly beaten up and covered in blood after being the victim of a homophobic attack in Liverpool.
Content warning: This story may include topics that some readers may find uncomfortable.
Kolade Ladipo explained that the person attacking him said a homophobic slur before punching him to the floor.
The 21-year-old was assaulted in front of a kebab shop on 30 August after a night out at the Jamaica Street carnival.
He said: “It became very aggressive and it became this massive thing where he was just pushing and punching, and that’s how I ended up bleeding loads.
“I was pushed to the floor and it was just so alarming that the whole time I’m screaming ‘just because I’m gay, what’s wrong with you? Just because I’m gay you’re causing a scene.”
According to Ladipo, when his friend confronted the person with the attacker he became violently angry and busted Ladipo’s lip.
The area was incredibly busy due to the bank holiday celebrations, but Ladipo said that no one offered to help him or stop the attack.
“Nobody said anything”, the victim explained. “Nobody asked if I was ok. No-one asked to walk me home. Not a single person. There were so many people just watching.”
Ladipo has decided that he will not report the attack to police due to a lack of confidence that they will do anything about it.
Liverpool has seen a surge in homophobic hate crimes in recent weeks, but Merseyside Police still encourage anyone who is the victim of one to come forward.
“My message to victims who are reluctant to report is I would really encourage you to have the trust and confidence in Merseyside Police to help you,” Superintendent Sarah Kenwright with Merseyside Police, said.
“We want to ensure that we support you as victims to support the rest of the LGBT community to feel safe going about their daily business.
“We ensure that victims get the help that they need and that we proactively investigate any crimes that have taken place.”
Galop is an LGBTQ+ charity there for those who have experienced abuse or have been the victim of a hate crime. They can be contacted Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm on 0207 7042040 or at HateCrime@galop.org.uk. You can find out more about them here.
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