Thanks to Leanisb for providing some good links. We missed this interesting story in Kent where she talked about how the police failed to support her after an attack in 2005:
We hope they did better in March 2008 when a similar incident happened the news reports indicated they were at least taking it seiously this time:VIOLENCE VICTIM LEANIS SPEAKS OUT ABOUT HATE
17 April 2008
Reading recent articles about Sophie Lancaster, kicked to death for her style of dress, was disturbing for everyone but for one Hythe resident it brought back painful memories.In a less severe incident Leanis Bathory was attacked in Hythe in 2005, also because she is a goth. The 24-year-old now wants to raise awareness of the extent of the problem.
Miss Bathory was set upon in the High Street by a group of youths who later boasted about the attack. She said: "They asked me for money and I refused so they started shouting abuse. They ran off but one girl came back and hit me in the face."
The former art student was found by women who called the police but she did not find officers helpful. She said: "They told me they'd try to catch them but they weren't sympathetic and I never heard anything back.
"I found out the girl's name when she bragged about it and told the police but nothing happened so I gave up."
The Stade Street resident said that this incident was not the only one her and her friends suffered. She said: "We've had a huge experience of violence like this. People think it's all right because we're different.
"I want to raise awareness of the problems faced by subcultures. A petition has gone to Parliament about extending the hate crime laws and there's a memorial fund called Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere (Sophie) to tell people about the problem."
Chief inspector Luke Dodson said the incident had been treated seriously and that everything that could have been done had been.
He added: "I'm sorry the victim is unhappy with the way it was dealt with. I would like to reassure people that we take all reports of crime seriously and we invest resources into training to raise awareness of diversity issues."
