Police To Record 'Subculture' Hate Crimes

Attacks against groups such as goths or punks are to be recorded by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as hate crimes.

It is the first move of its kind in the UK.

Previously, hate crimes were only recorded for offences against race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity.

The move comes following the death of 20-year-old goth Sophie Lancaster in 2007. Ms Lancaster was attacked in a park in Bacup, Lancashire along with her boyfriend because of the way they were dressed. As she cradled her badly beaten boyfriend, Ms Lancaster was then kicked and stamped. Although Mr Maltby made a partial recovery from the injuries he sustained, his girlfriend slipped into a coma and died later in hospital.

Following her death, family and friends set up the Sophie Lancaster Foundation and has been working alongside GMP. The charity campaigns to change attitudes in society towards people who may have a different lifestyle or appearance.

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan said the new understanding of hate crime was a "major breakthrough".

He added: "This means that we can recognise the impact that alternative subculture hate crime has on its victims and the wider community.

"Any crime motivated by hate is an insidious and evil crime and I hope other forces will follow our lead. We need to make a stance here and say clearly, in memory of Sophie, protecting the victims of hate crime should extended beyond those the law already safeguards."

However, former director of public prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, said he had reservations about changing the legal definition of a hate crime.

He said: "People's racial origins, their religion, their sexual orientation, people's dignity in the face of disability - these have been lines in the sand with the law saying, look, these are crimes that threaten social cohesion as a whole and therefore national life.

"I'm a little cautious about watering down this concept."

(JP/CD)