Police received a report of an assault in the High Street Mall area of Portadown on Saturday, 24th February.

Inspector Browne said: "It was reported that at around 5.20pm, a young man was attacked by six other teenage boys, sustaining serious facial injuries.

"We are treating this assault as a disability hate crime. It is completely unacceptable that a young man going peacefully about his business should be targeted in this way.

"We have had a great response from local retailers when carrying out CCTV checks and are following a number of positive lines of enquiry.

“There is no place for hate in our society and we take reports of these types of crimes incredibly seriously. We all have a role to play in eliminating this behaviour from our community and we would continue to appeal to anyone who may have been in the area and witnessed anything suspicious to contact us.

“If you have any information, please contact us on 101, quoting reference number 1237 of 24/02/24.”

A report can also be made using the online reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport  

Alternatively, information can be provided to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org