Pair arrested over Manchester homophobic tram attack

A 20-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of attacking two gay men on a Manchester tram last month.

Earlier this week, police released CCTV images of the pair, which has prompted the arrests just over a month after the November 1 attack. They are currently in police custody for questioning.

Friends Jean Claude Manseau and Jake Heaton were singing the songs of Wicked on a tram service from Bury to Manchester, when they were verbally and physically abused by the man and woman – read more here.

The suspects have yet to be named, but police have urged witnesses to still come forward to help the investigation move forward.

Detective Constable Tim Greenwood, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “We are still for people to come forward with information and I would urge anyone who witnessed the attack to speak to police.

“The victim was attacked in a busy place and someone may have seen something and have some key information that could help our investigation.”

Manseau was knocked unconscious and sustained a number of head injuries during the attack, while Heaton was punched in the back of the head. An onlooker called the police, who arrived at the scene shortly after. However, the pair had to travel to hospital by taxi as their ambulance only arrived 90 minutes after it was called.

Manseau said of the attack: “It has destroyed every bit of confidence I have. It will be a while before I go anywhere on my own. I don’t know when I’ll feel safe to go into Manchester again.”

A Manchester-based LGBT staged a ‘sing-in’ on one of the city’s trams last month (November) in protest over the attack – click here to read more.

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