Man charged over bottle attack in Birmingham’s Gay Village

A man has been charged over a suspected homophobic hate crime in which a man was attacked with a bottle in Birmingham’s Gay Village.

Usman Murtza, from Tipton, is accused of carrying out an unprovoked attack on John-Paul Kesseler and another man as they walked together in Horse Fair in the early hours of 10 October.

Mr Kesseler was hit in the face with a glass bottle, leaving him with a nasty gash above one eye, before both men were struck with a wooden pole.

Murtza, aged 29, has been charged with two counts of assault, plus possessing an offensive weapon, and is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on 12 January.

In a statement, West Midlands police, said: “No-one should have to tolerate hate abuse or hate crimes. If you’ve been a victim then we’d urge you to contact us or a support agency so you can get help and we can investigate.”

Galop is a national LGBT+ anti-abuse charity who support people who have suffered homophobia, transphobia and other forms of abuse. You can find more about the support available here.

For more support, including information on how to report an incident if you have been the victim of a hate crime, click here.

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