A weekend assault on a young man in Portadown is being treated as a ‘disability hate crime’, police have said.
The boy sustained serious facial injuries when he was attacked by six other boys in the High Street Mall area on Saturday (February 24) at around 5:20pm.
An investigation into the incident is currently underway, with police adding that they have had a “great response” from local retailers when carrying out CCTV checks and are following a number of “positive lines of enquiry”.
Inspector Browne commented: “We are treating this assault as a disability hate crime. It is completely unacceptable that a young man going peacefully about his business should be targeted in this way.
“There is no place for hate in our society and we take reports of these types of crimes incredibly seriously. We all have a role to play in eliminating this behaviour from our community and we would continue to appeal to anyone who may have been in the area and witnessed anything suspicious to contact us.”
If anyone has any information that could be of assistance to the investigation, they are asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1237 of 24/02/24.
A report can also be made using the online reporting form, or alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
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