A woman out on a run was the victim of a hate crime attack - and now police are looking for a man they want to speak to in connection with the incident. 

On Sunday, police received reports of a hate crime attack on a woman who was running near the Lookers Nissan car garage, when a man stopped to shout verbal abuse, which was homophobic and transphobic in nature.

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The Northern Echo:

The man then approached the victim and threatened them by gesturing with his fist before leaving the area.

The victim was left extremely distressed by the incident and later contacted police. Enquiries into the report are ongoing which we are treating as a suspected hate crime. 

Today (Thursday) as part of their investigation, officers have released an image of a man they would like to speak to.

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He was in the area at the time of the report and could have valuable information which may assist the investigation. 

The man, or anyone with information, is asked to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of our website or by calling 101 quoting log number: NP-20230813-1209.

Alternatively, you can also email the Community Engagement Team at: NorthernCEOMailbox@northumbria.police.uk.