A man was knocked unconscious after he was followed into the toilets of a Darlington bar in a homophobic attack.
Adam Cope was enjoying a Friday night in Harvey’s Late Bar when he was followed into the men’s toilets by two other men who preceded to assault him, causing facial injuries, for which he needed hospital treatment.
Mr Cope, who was wearing women’s clothing at the time, has spoken out about his disappointment and anger that the incident, 11 weeks ago, is not being treated as a homophobic hate crime by the police.
The 36-year-old’s injuries included a cut to his head near his left eye, cuts and bruising to his nose and his lip was split open.
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Mr Cope told The Northern Echo: “I was semi-conscious and lost a lot of blood and one of the bouncers had to carry me to the car.
“I remember the doctor asking if I’d had my lips done (with lip filler) and he said that really saved my lips or I would’ve had nerve damage.
“I still get headaches and my nose hurts, and my mouth still feels tingly but it’s getting there slowly.
“I’m absolutely mortified that the police aren’t treating it as a homophobic attack, but if they don’t this will just happen to someone else. I’m not allowed to see the CCTV from Harvey’s because of ‘data protection’ but I’m the victim.”
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Mr Cope went on to describe how his ordeal began that night.
He said: “I like getting dressed up and looking good, I’m a gay man. I had my high heels and skirt on, and I’d done my hair and they (the two men) followed me into the toilets. I didn’t think anything of it. I went into a cubicle, and they started banging on the door.
“They knocked the door off the hinges which smacked me in the face, knocked me out, and stole my money off me. I managed to get a glimpse of them just as they were running out the door, but I’m not allowed to see the CCTV that shows them running out of the toilets.
“In all the years I’ve never had anything like this happen before. It’s had a big effect on me. I’m a strong-minded person but I don’t feel like going out anymore.”
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Harvey’s Late Bar, located on Houndgate, is a popular venue with members of the LGBTQIA+ community and well-known for hosting events as part of Darlington Pride.
A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said: “We received reports of a suspected assault at Harvey’s, in Darlington, on January 27.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
Dylan Scott, manager of Harvey's Late Bar said: “Adam was found in the toilet by a member of the public who alerted door staff to the incident. Adam was then seen by management and taken to hospital by one of the managers whom stayed with him until he had been seen by hospital staff.
“The management at Harvey's co-operated with the police and aided them in their investigation.”
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