Image copyright Mandy Jones Image caption PCSO Connor Freel was born female but felt he was in the "wrong body"

Connor Freel said he suffered "vile" verbal and physical abuse when he first began transitioning to a boy.

He said school days were difficult and he was hit by other children, including being struck in the face by a rock.

Now a police community support officer (PCSO) based in Mold, Flintshire, he is backing North Wales Police's campaign during Hate Crimes Awareness Week.

"It's great if my experience can help others," he said. "That drives me on."

Conor was born female but, from an early age, he said he felt he had been born in the "wrong body".

"I told my parents when I was a small child that I was a boy," he said.

"When I was around 15 I changed my name to Connor and felt free.

"I was no longer acting and not trying to fit into some sort of box I didn't belong in."

Image copyright Victim Support Image caption PCSO Connor Freel is urging victims of hate crime to report abuse to police

However, the transition was far from straightforward as Connor said he was a target for discrimination and hate in and out of school.

"Fellow students didn't know whether I was male or female so they basically lashed out," he said.

"I'd walk down a corridor and someone would smack the back of my head and call me names.

"One day walking home, someone shouted vile abuse from a car window. I turned around and was hit in the face by a rock.

"I felt horrendous and almost that it was my own fault, which I knew wasn't really true."

He switched schools and went on to complete a criminology and criminal justice degree at university before joining the police.

He has undergone hormone treatment, as well as chest surgery, and now regularly speaks to schoolchildren about hate crime and the LGBT community.

Connor, who is engaged, said life "could not be better".

'Speak out'

"Everyone has been great and I don't have any issues with the public. I have now got a male body shape and no-one suspects I was born female."

Connor's story is part of a campaign by the police to raise awareness of a 27% increase in hate crime across north Wales in the last 12 months.

The number of cases rose from 358 to 455, with incidents involving race and religion featuring prominently.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones urged people to "speak out and not to suffer in silence".

Help charity Victim Support said such abuse was "ruining lives", leading to mental health problems and social isolation.