Boy arrested in connection with homophobic abuse in Chichester

Friday, 16 October 2026 10:46

By V2 Radio

A boy has been arrested as part of an ongoing police investigation into homophobic abuse in Chichester city centre.

The victim, a man in his 20s an actor on the current production of a Midsummer Night's Dream at Chichester Festival Theatre, reported being followed and verbally abused by a group of young men riding bicycles, and was left shaken by the incident.

The incident happened in the Little London car park behind East Street at about 6pm on 13 October.

It is being treated as a homophobic hate crime.

Officers launched an investigation after being made aware of the incident, and visited the victim in a venue nearby to provide reassurance and take a full statement.

Police can confirm a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was arrested on suspicion of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.

He was also arrested on suspicion of shop theft.

The boy was issued with a Community Protection Warning, and has been bailed, pending further enquiries.

Inspector Dave Lyons from Chichester Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This was a distressing incident for the victim and we understand the concern it has caused for the wider community.

“Hate has no place in our communities. We understand that reporting it can sometime be difficult, but we continue to encourage anyone impacted by hate crimes to report them to Sussex Police.

“We are continuing to work with partner agencies in Chichester to further support victims of crime.”

Anyone with further information about the incident can report it to Sussex Police online, quoting serial 47260238010.

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