Four teens charged for LGBT hate crime in Bathgate

Published 9th Aug 2016

Four teenagers have been arrested in connection with homophobic abuse outside an LGBT meeting.

A group of people attending the meeting in Bathgate, West Lothian, were confronted by teenagers who subjected them to homophobic abuse.

Police arrested three boys on Sunday, one aged 13 and two 14-year-olds. A 15-year-old youth was traced and charged the following day.

The four will be reported to the Children's Reporter in relation to the hate crime incident at Boghall Parish Church, Elizabeth Drive, on Thursday August 4.

Sergeant John Fleming said: "Hate crime in any form will not be tolerated within West Lothian and whenever such incidents occur we will investigate them thoroughly to identify those responsible.

"If you have been a victim of a hate crime then please contact us on 101, make an anonymous report to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit the Police Scotland website to learn more about our third-party reporting mechanism.''