Police in Belfast today faced accusations of homophobia from a gay man beaten up in the city.
Mr Kristian Markus (26) claimed he faced a wall of resistance from station officers after being battered outside a nightclub. He alleged anti-gay attitudes also stretched to his friend being wrongly arrested for assaulting a policeman.
Mr Markus vowed to take legal action and is preparing a detailed complaint for Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan's office. He said: "It's no good devising new strategies for homophobic crime if there
are undercurrents within the force itself.
Mr Markus told how he and his friend were jumped on by a 10-strong gang early on Tuesday. His companion, a 27-year-old hairdresser, then chased after two of the attackers who stole his wallet during the beating.
Mr Markus, who moved to Belfast from Dublin three years ago, managed to break free and flag down a police car. Although he identified some of the gang by their clothes, the media buyer claimed officers told him it was not strong enough to make arrests.
After learning his friend had been arrested, Mr Markus said he went to the station on Musgrave Street where he was being held. As he waited to see him, Mr Markus urged police to take photos of his bruised and bloodied face as a record.
"They refused, saying it was not serious enough," he claimed. "I asked one of them if it would take a dead body to be considered serious enough and he said yes it would."
A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokeswoman refused to comment on the case. She said: "If he has any complaint against the police the proper channel to address that through is the Police Ombudsman's office."
PA