A MAN was kicked and punched to the head and had his phone thrown into Carr Mill Dam in what police have described as a "hate crime assault".

Officers are appealing for information following reports of the attack which happened last month.

Police received a report that, around 8.30pm on Tuesday, July, 20, the victim was approached by a group of three men on Garswood Old Road, near Lancashire Powerboat Racing Club.

The men were reported to have kicked and punched the victim in the head and thrown his mobile phone into the water.

They also are said to have jumped on his car, a grey Jaguar XF, causing extensive damage.

It was further reported that the men also directed "homophobic slurs" towards the victim during the assault.

The men, described as around 20 years of age, made off from the scene in an unknown direction.

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Several members of the public in the area were reported to have checked on the victim’s welfare following the attack.

The victim suffered minor injuries and was left extremely shaken by the incident.

Extensive CCTV and witness enquires have been carried out and officers are appealing for anyone with any information to come forward.

Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan said: “This was an appalling attack, which left a man injured and extremely shaken, and we are doing all we can to find those responsible and bring them to justice.

“We understand that there were several people were in the area at the time the incident took place who spoke to the victim and took the time to make sure he was ok. If this was you then please get in touch, either directly or anonymously, as information you hold could be vital to our investigation.

“We are also keen to speak to anyone who was out in the Carr Mill Dam area that evening who saw anything or anyone suspicious. If you were out for a drive in the sunshine on Tuesday 20 July then please review your dashcam footage and get in touch.

“Similarly if you were in the area and captured any mobile phone footage then please let us know."

Insp Al-Ramadhan added: “Due to the nature of the insults directed towards the victim, we are treating this incident as a hate crime. It is completely and utterly despicable to think that people could be subject to verbal and physical abuse simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and we simply will not tolerate people being targeted in this way.

“I would take this opportunity to urge any victim of hate crime on Merseyside to please come forward and let us know. We have a dedicated team of hate crime co-ordinators who will make sure you will be supported at every step as sensitively as possible.

“Furthermore, across Merseyside, there are a number of third-party reporting centres available to anyone who doesn't want to call the police in the first instance including the charity Stop Hate UK who can be contacted on 0800 138 1625.”