Appeal to trace two men in mobile phone image following the report of a hate crime in Southampton

We need your help in identifying the men pictured here after it was reported a man was verbally and physically attacked whilst walking alone along Nelson Road and Firgrove Road at 1.30pm on Sunday 3 March.

The victim, a 20-year-old man reported that two men followed him down Nelson Road and onto Firgrove Road and began verbally abusing him and assaulting him because of their perception of his sexuality.

The victim was punched, pushed and kicked. The injuries he sustained were not serious however he did suffer a mild concussion. The abuse and assault were sustained over a period of several minutes. We are investigating this as a hate crime and would like to appeal for the identity of the men involved.

The victim managed to take this picture after the incident and report what happened to him.

The men we are looking to trace have been described as:

The man in the blue jacket (left)

White British
• Aged between 25 and 30-years-old
• 6 feet tall
• Stocky build
• Full face with a red complexion as if he had been drinking
• Short brown hair
• Well-kept beard.
• Wearing black trousers worn below his bottom
• Light and dark blue half denim jacket
• Carrying a small black bag
• Black and white Nike trainers

The man in the black jacket (right)

White British
• Aged between 25 and 30-years-old
• 6 feet tall
• Slim build
• Prominent cheek bones with a prominent nose, shaped like a bird’s beak
• Light brown hair
• Clean shaven
• Wearing a black zip up hoody
• Dark blue trousers
• White Nike trainers with a black "tick".

This was a targeted attack on a young man in the middle of the day, fuelled by hate. We believe someone will know who these men are, from their clothing captured here and the detailed description of the faces.

If you know who they are or you witnessed this incident, please get in touch.