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A young gay couple were subjected to a vicious homophobic attack after a Christmas Day drink with friends.

The two men and their pal needed hospital treatment after being set upon by a gang outside a pub in Thornaby.

The unprovoked attack saw them beaten with bottles and punched and kicked to the heads and bodies.

Jayson Homer and his partner, who did not want to be named, had gone out with their friend Marc Vasey, 21, and a female friend to celebrate Christmas,

Early on in the evening they claim to have been verbally abused at the Jolly Farmers pub in Thornaby by members of the group.

Jayson’s partner said he was the first to be targeted - at first over his religion.

The 21-year-old said: “At first a girl in the group started taking the mick out of me for being Jewish.

“Then another lad from the group came over saying being Jewish was a race. I was disagreeing with him and it was just a little debate really at first.

“But then the girl started shouting ‘queer’ at me. Every time I went to the toilet someone said it while I was walking past.”

Jayson said he was also subjected to abuse while nipping outside for a cigarette.

The friends, all from Thornaby, said they chose to ignore their intimidators but decided to leave when trouble broke out in the pub.

But as they started to make their way to the female friend’s home, they were then approached from behind by a group of about 15.

Jayson, 20, said: “I was bottled in the face. I couldn’t really see what was happening because they had knocked my glasses off and my eye was filled with blood.”

He needed a CT scan to check for potential brain damage.

His partner was also brutally attacked, suffering bruising across his body and a black eye. He also has suspected cracked ribs and a broken nose and has to return to hospital for further checks.

He said: “It was calculated, they followed us down with weapons.”

Their pal Marc Vasey, 21, suffered a black eye and nerve damage to his cheek.

It was the second homophobic attack in Thornaby in less than a week.

On Wednesday, December 21, a 30-year-old cyclist was attacked after having homophobic abuse thrown at him in Thornaby .

The man was cycling along Langley Avenue, Thornaby, at around 3.45pm when he was approached by a white Mercedes saloon.

The driver and passenger, both men, shouted homophobic abuse at the victim, then the passenger got out of the Mercedes and assaulted him.

Jayson said the men who attacked him and his friends were “arrogant” adding there is “no place” for homophobia in 2016.

“We didn’t want any trouble. I could understand if we had provoked them but we were just minding our own business,” he said.

“They started off calling us and then it escalated.

“To tell the truth it left me feeling suicidal. I was petrified to go out of my front door but I’m not going to let it stop me living my life.”

The group said the verbal abuse began in the pub at about 8.30pm and the physical attack outside the Thornaby Road pub occurred at about 11.15pm.

Cleveland Police are investigating the attack and urged anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.