Tower Hamlets Council are renewing an appeal to find a thug who punched a gay man in the face in a suspected homophobic attack outside a nightclub in Stepney.
Gordon Maxwell suffered a fractured cheek bone and may have permanent nerve damage following the attack which took place as he left the Troxy Club on Commercial Road.
Mr Maxwell, who lives in Greenwich, was wearing a white dress, ‘Doctor Martin’ boots and a brown jacket when a friend of his attacker made a homophobic comment to him before he was punched.
He had been left traumatised by the attack, which took place on December 3 at around 3am.
Earlier this year police released shocking CCTV footage of the attack and today mayor of Tower Hamlets John Biggs has renewed an appeal to find Gordon’s attacker.
He said: “One of the most inspiring things about Tower Hamlets is its diversity – and it’s something I’m very proud of. It’s imperative that all of our residents can live in peace and without fear of discrimination.
“Ours is a borough with a strong spirit of community where people from different backgrounds get on well together – we cannot let a small minority threaten this.
“Hate crime will not be accepted in our borough. I would encourage anyone who has information about the brutal assault of Gordon Maxwell last year to come forward.”
PC Hawkins, LGBT & hate crime liaison officer for Tower Hamlets, added: “The attack that happened on Mr Maxwell was totally unprovoked and completely unacceptable.
“Hate crime will not be tolerated by police in Tower Hamlets or any other borough. We are still appealing for anyone who was in the surrounding areas on the night of Mr Maxwell’s attack to come forward as we would like to hear from them as soon as possible.
“Tower Hamlets police and council are committed to working in partnership with each other to tackle hate crime in all forms, so that together we can ensure that our borough is ‘No Place for Hate’.”
Anyone with information should call police on 020 7275 4601 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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