THE number of violent homophobic attacks across Greater Manchester has increased by 20 per cent.

The figures, which were obtained by The Press Association, are borne out by a police appeal, to catch thugs who broke the jaw of a man in Manchester's Gay Village on November 1.

Figures released this week showed that Greater Manchester Police recorded 278 violent offences motivated by a person's sexual orientation between January and October 2014, up from 231 in 2013 and 259 in 2012.

The worrying trend continues nationally with nearly half of the UK's police forces reporting a rise in recorded attacks so far this year.

Jen Lau, a spokeswoman for the Lesbian and Gay Foundation, said the increased figures could be because more gay people felt brave enough to now report homophobic hate crime.

She explained: "We are working very hard with GMP to cut crime in Greater Manchester and promote safety in the Village. Initiatives include supporting gay people to report hate crime anonymously to police or speak to the foundation and the Village Angels who are a group of volunteers who look after those getting into taxis and just make sure they are okay in an impartial and non-judgemental way."

The attack in Manchester earlier this month, followed a similar attack on same day, on two men who were singing show tunes on Manchester's Metrolink, travelling to Bury, when they were beaten up by a gang of yobs.

Police have now released a CCTV image of one of the men who they want to speak to in relation to the Village attack.

The 24-year-old victim was on Canal Street promoting his LGBT rugby team when he was approached by a group of about four men who shouted homophobic abuse at him and one of them punched him in the face.

The victim was treated in hospital for a broken jaw.

Det Cons Louise Kelly of North Manchester division said: “We believe this to be a homophobic attack and I want to make it clear that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated on our streets.

“The victim was merely promoting his rugby team, but was subjected to an attack, during which he suffered a broken jaw and has had a metal plate inserted into his face.

“I want to reassure local businesses and residents, who live, reside or socialise in the gay village that we are treating this extremely seriously.

“I want to hear from anyone who recognises the man in the CCTV image or who may have witnessed the incident.

“It was 9pm in a busy area, there were lots of people on Canal Street at that time that may have information that could help us with our investigation.”

Assistant Chief Constable Garry Shewan, GMP’s lead on hate crime, said: “It is likely that this increase is down to more people reporting incidents, rather than a rise in homophobic hate crimes, as the public now has increased confidence in our ability to deal with these offences. 

“We have improved training for officers so they are able to provide better support for victims and risk-assess the potential for repeat victimisation, and our Pride Network has also done a lot of work to raise awareness of homophobic hate crime, particularly during Manchester Pride. 

"In addition, through our Hate Crime Awareness Weeks, we have done a lot of work around informing communities about homophobic hate crime, and how victims can report incidents to police or at third party reporting centres.

“Having said that, this type of offence continues to be under-reported, and can have a devastating impact on victims, as well as their families and wider society.  

"Victims may feel they need to change something about themselves, or accept being targeted because of who they are as part of their daily lives, and this cannot be tolerated by society, and will not be by Greater Manchester Police. 

"Support is out there, and we can direct victims to organisations like the Lesbian and Gay Foundation for example."

If you have any information about the incident please call police on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Meanwhile, Cheshire Police recorded 16 violent homophobic crimes from January to October, compared with 26 in 2013 and 18 in 2012.