Police 'appalled' at alleged racist attack, as £1,000 raised for victim

Police said they were ‘appalled’ at the attack, and the leader of the council said ‘we will not and must not stand for racism, discrimination and violence against anyone’.

Yehsung Kim, 20, a South Korean national studying the UK, was on his way to meet friends when he was approached by a group on North Street on Sunday night.

Sussex Police said he was ‘struck with a bottle, causing facial injuries, and was taken to hospital for treatment’ in what they called a ‘hate crime’.

In response to the attack, a JustGiving crowdfunding page was set up by Brighton man Joe Cave, to pay for the dental work for Mr Kim. Within just a few hours the page reached its £1,000 target.

Messages of support for Mr Kim were posted on the site, including one which said: “Yehsung please know that you were just unfortunate to encounter these awful people, the vast majority of Brightonians do not think or act this way.”

Mr Cave said any extra cash raised would be donated to an anti-racism charity.

Warren Morgan, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: "Brighton and Hove should be a safe place for people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicity.

"We are a City of Sanctuary, and the welcome we have traditionally given for centuries to people from elsewhere must be extended, not diminished.

"Our future prosperity depends on it, our decency as human beings requires it. We will not and must not stand for racism, discrimination and violence against anyone."

Sussex Police Chief Inspector Chris Veale said: "We are treating this as a hate crime as we believe the victim was targeted due to his ethnicity.

"Brighton is a welcoming diverse city and we are appalled at this attack on this young man.

"Such incidents can cause significant distress to victims and local communities and I would like to reassure those affected that we take this type of crime extremely seriously and are doing all we can to identify and arrest the suspect.”

Police said officers were called by South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) following a report of an assault in North Street, Brighton, at 10.30pm on Sunday (October 15).

The victim, a 20-year-old South Korean man, had suffered facial injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, police said.

A police spokesman said: "The first suspect who was armed with the bottle is a white teenage boy, of slim build with brown hair with a side parting and was wearing blue top, dark coat, grey trousers and dark shoes.

"The second suspect was a white teenage boy, of slim build, with dark cropped hair and was wearing a grey short sleeved top with collar and buttons (possibly a polo shirt), dark trousers and dark shoes.

"The third suspect is a white teenage girl, of slim build with long dark hair and was wearing a dark jacket and trousers and light coloured shoes."

Detective Inspector Simon Morgan said: "We want to hear from anyone who saw the assault, which happened in busy North Street and also anyone who saw a group of youths acting aggressively at this location or in Churchill Square on Sunday night.

"We are aware there is a video of the incident which has been posted on Facebook and if anyone who has seen it has any information, please contact us."

Anyone with information should contact police online or call 101 quoting serial 1481 of 15/10.

To view the crowdfunding page, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/brightonracistattack