Two arrests after teenager 'strangled and forced to apologise for being gay' on Tube

Police said the victims left the train at North Greenwich station following the incident
AFP/Getty Images
Hatty Collier5 December 2017
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Two teenage boys have been arrested after a teenager was allegedly strangled and forced to apologise for being gay on a Tube train.

The 19-year-old's attackers threatened to stab him and placed him in a headlock as he travelled on a Jubilee line train, police said.

British Transport Police said the suspects took the victim’s phone as they strangled him and demanded that he apologise for being gay which he eventually did as he was struggling to breathe.

One of the victim's female friends, 25, was punched and pushed to the ground when she came to his defence, police said.

Officers issued an appeal for information on Monday following the assault on a westbound train between West Ham and North Greenwich stations on Saturday, October 21. Police said the incident was being treated as a hate crime.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for the force said two 16-year-old boys had been arrested on suspicion of assault and were currently in custody.

The victim and his friends were travelling on the Tube dressed in fancy dress for an event they were heading to.

His attackers boarded the train and began verbally abusing them and using homophobic language and became more aggressive when their behaviour was challenged, according to police.

The 19-year-old did not sustain injuries, while his 25-year-old friend suffered bruising.

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