Appeal after suspected homophobic attack that injured teenager

Officers investigating a suspected homophobic attack in Newark want to speak to these three juveniles.

Police were notified after a teenage boy was assaulted by a group of people, around 6.45pm on 10 May.

The openly gay victim was targeted in the unprovoked attack in Balderton Gate, shortly after leaving Sherwood Avenue Park.

He was left with nasty facial injuries by the group, who reportedly subjected him to homophobic abuse as they took it in turns to punch him.

The victim managed to run for safety while being assaulted by the individuals – all of whom police believe to be aged between 14 and 16.

Officers have been investigating the attack since it happened and can now release images of three people they'd like to speak to as part of their inquiries.

PC Rebecca Skinner, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

"This was a horrible and completely unprovoked assault on a teenage boy who was minding his own business when he was targeted.

"At this stage, we have strong cause to believe this attack was a hate crime, with the victim reportedly being subjected to homophobic abuse throughout his ordeal.

"It really shouldn't need to be said but this incident and the suspected motivations behind it are both completely unacceptable.  

"We’re determined to track down the people responsible, so on that note, we urgently want to speak to the three people pictured – all of whom we believe could assist our investigation.

"While we appreciate these images aren't of the greatest quality, we believe there will be people who recognise them, while those pictured will too.

"To anyone who does, we'd urge them to do the right thing and share this information with the police, so we can ask them some questions."

Information can be reported directly to the police on 101, quoting incident 576 of 10 May 2026, while Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.