Police hunt for two men after teenager 'placed in headlock and forced to apologise for being gay' on London Underground
The 19-year-old was allegedly set upon by the pair who became verbally and physically abusive
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A teenager was placed in a headlock and forced to apologise for being gay during a homophobic attack on a London Underground train, police have said.
British Transport Police are appealing for information about the two men who allegedly attacked a 19-year-old who was travelling on a westbound Jubilee line train between West Ham and North Greenwich.
The teenager and his friends were wearing fancy dress for an event they were going to during the attack at around 11:10pm on 21 October.
The police said the two men boarded the train at West Ham and began verbally abusing the victim and his friend, using homophobic language.
When they were challenged, the BTP said they became “more aggressive” and one of the men pulled the victim into a headlock, throttled him.
The second man then allegedly took the the victim’s phone and threatened to stab him.
The pair allegedly demanded the victim apologise for being gay which he was forced to do as he was struggling to breathe in the headlock.
When they let him go and handed back his phone a fight ensued between the victim’s friends and the two men.
One of the victim’s friends, a 25-year-old woman, was punched and pushed to the ground. She was bruised but the original victim did not sustain any injuries.
The alleged abusers left the train at North Greenwich.
A spokesman for the BTP said: “Officers would like to speak to the people shown in the images as they may have information which could help the investigation.
“Hate crime will not be tolerated by British Transport Police. We believe that everyone has the right to travel safety.
“We won’t tolerate behaviour where someone is targeted because they are perceived to be different, or made to feel uncomfortable on their journey.”
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or text 61016, quoting reference number 273 of 1/12.