Greater Manchester Police have become the first in the country to officially recognise hate crimes against goths, emos, punks and metallers.
Attacks on those who belong to alternative subcultures will now be recorded as a crime by GMP in the same way as disability, racist, religious, sexual orientation and transgender hate crime to provide better support to victims and repeat victims.
The move is a response to the 2007 killing of Sophie Lancaster, who was attacked by a mob for being a goth.
Aged 20, she and her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, were brutally beaten as they walked home through Stubbylee Park in Bacup.
She suffered horrific head injuries after she was repeatedly stamped on and kicked in the head.
Mr Maltby survived the attack, but Miss Lancaster never regained consciousness.
Her killers were sentenced in 2008 and the judge recognised her death as a hate crime because they were targeted for being goths.
Her parents set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation to create respect and understanding of subcultures.
The charity works with police forces and politicians to ensure individuals who are part of subcultures are protected by the law.
Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, GMP’s lead on hate crime, said: “The launch of this new strand of recordable hate crime is a major breakthrough.
“We are able to officially recognise that people who wish to express their alternative subculture identity freely should not have to tolerate hate crime – something that many people have to endure on a daily basis.
“Sophie’s tragic death brought forward a need to recognise that there are many other victims of hate crime that should be protected by law. MORE
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