A man and a woman from Armley have been arrested in connection with a race-hate crime against a Polish shopkeeper in Bramley.

The 53-year-old man and 39-year-old woman were arrested this morning in connection with the incident at Bramley Shopping Centre on Tuesday.

The 47-year-old victim, who has a pre-existing heart condition, collapsed and was taken to hospital for treatment following the incident at his shop. He was later released from hospital to continue his recovery at home.

Chief Superintendent Paul Money, Leeds District Commander, said:

“We treat all reports of hate incidents very seriously and want victims to come forward with confidence, either directly to the police or through our partner agencies, and be fully reassured that their complaints will receive the appropriate response. “We are very conscious of the increased focus on incidents of this nature at this time and hope that people will be reassured to see that we have acted promptly to progress this investigation. Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team will be continuing to provide additional reassurance in the area and we will continue to respond appropriately to any other reports we may receive from anywhere else in the district.”

Incidents can be reported via via www.westyorkshire.police.uk/hatecrime which also contains links to partner organisations.