Two arrested in connection with violent Manchester homophobic attack

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

A man and a woman have been arrested in connection with a violent attack in Manchester, which Police were treating as a homophobic hate crime.

The assault happened at Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester city centre in the early hours of 1 November.

Jean Claude Manseau, 25, was on a tram when an argument broke out between him and another man.

Mr Manseau and a friend had reportedly been subjected to taunts after the pair sang songs from the musical Wicked on board the tram.

A man followed Mr Manseau as he left the tram at Manchester Piccadilly stop, before a group of between 10 and 20 people attacked the 25-year-old at around 1am.

Mr Manseau was “badly beaten” and required stitches to his faces after the attack.

The two suspects. a 20-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were held in Clayton, east Manchester, this morning, on suspicion of aggravated assault.

Detective Constable Tim Greenwood, of GMP’s City Centre division, said: “We are still appealing for people to come forward with information and I would urge anyone who witnessed the attack to speak to police.

“The victim was attacked in a busy place and someone may have seen something and have some key information that could help our investigation.”

Following the assault, hundreds of people led by the Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus took part in a mass singalong on the trams as a protest.

Police yesterday released CCTV images of two people they wanted to speak to in relation to the attack.

Those with information regarding the attack are encouraged to call police on 0161 856 3229 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111. 

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