THE gay community is being reminded to stay safe on nights out after a teenager was the victim of an unprovoked attack in Worcester city centre.

The 19-year-old male was subjected to homophobic abuse by a group of five men and punched to the back of the head while walking down The Avenue towards the Cornmarket car park at about 12.45am on Friday after leaving a nightclub.

He said he woke up feeling “a bit low on confidence” and had a small lump on his head as well as a bit of a headache.

“They just kept taunting me and one of them got really lairy and went for a swing for no reason,” said the teenager, who does not want to be named.

“Then one of his other friends punched me to the back of the head.

“I was a bit scared and a bit intimidated. Generally it doesn’t bother me but as it was a group of people it did. I did feel really small and it was completely out of the blue.”

He said he would be wary on his next night out in the city centre and wanted other members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT) to have their wits about them.

“It will be at the back of my mind for a while and I will make sure I am safe.

"People just need to be aware of people like that walking the streets.”

His partner Guy Vann, of Wyld’s Lane, reported the incident to the police after receiving a “distressing” voicemail.

The 23-year-old echoed the warnings to the LGBT community and hoped the police provide them with support.

He said: “If you are out on an evening be careful and if possible stay with a friend or send a text message to a friend.

“If you are LGBT you open yourself up to more vulnerability.

"The problem of verbal abuse is very common and that needs to be recognised more.

"The authorities need to make people aware it is not acceptable. I think if they tackle it from that stage it would reduce the number of physical attacks.”

A spokesman for West Mercia Police said they were due to meet the victim last night but the type of attack was rare in Worcester.

He said: “We always encourage victims of this type of attack to come forward and report it to us at the earliest opportunity so we can catch the people responsible.”