Merseyside Police have charged a man with assault and hate crime following an incident in Southport on Saturday, 9 November.
At around 2.25pm, police were called to reports of an assault at the junction of Chapel Street and Tulketh Street.
A man in his 40s was taken to hospital for assessment of head injuries, which were not life-threatening.
A man was detained nearby. He also reportedly spat at and made homophobic remarks to an officer.
Mark McSorley, 41, of no fixed abode, has now been charged with the following offences:
Assault occasioning actual bodily harm
Assault by beating
Assault by beating of an emergency worker
Use threatening/abusive/insulting words/behaviour to cause harassment/alarm/distress
McSorley will appear at Wirral Adult Remand Court today, Monday 11 October.
Chief Inspector Rob Budden said: “This investigation is ongoing and we have already spoken to a number of witnesses. I’d like to appeal to anyone who witnessed the assault and its aftermath to come forward.
“We will take swift action whenever violence is reported across Merseyside, and whenever our officers are the subject of assault and hate crime when protecting and serving these communities.
“If you have any information about this incident, please contact @MerpolCC or 101 with reference 24000952128.”
More information on how to report hate crime is available here: How to report hate crime | Merseyside Police. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.