Appeal for witnesses after elderly woman was subjected to racial abuse

Officers are appealing for witnesses and asking an elderly woman to come forward after she was subjected to racial abuse in Cheltenham.

It was reported that two women were walking along Rowanfield Road at around 6.20pm on Friday 5 September when they began to utter racial insults about an elderly black woman who was on the other side of the road.

The member of the public who witnessed this stated that the pair raised their voices and shouted racial abuse at the elderly woman for around 10 minutes before turning onto another street.

Enquiries are now ongoing to identify the women who shouted the abuse as well as the victim of the abuse.

The women who shouted the abuse were both described as being white and had been walking arm in arm at the time of the incident.

The first woman was aged in her 40s, had tanned skin and straight brown hair. She was wearing a tan vest top and white trousers.

The second woman was aged in her 70s, had white hair and was wearing an all-white outfit consisting of trousers and a shirt.

Investigating officers have conducted several enquiries and are now asking the victim, or anyone who knows her, to come forward.

They are also asking anyone who was in the area or who has dashcam or CCTV footage they feel is relevant to make contact.

Information can be provided to police online by completing the following form and quoting incident 472 of 5 September: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

County Hate Crime Coordinator PC Steph Lawrence said: "We have a dedicated county-wide partnership who work together to ensure we drive out hate.

"We are proud of the diverse county we live and work in, and people should be able to go about their normal day to day lives without having to live in fear of being singled out and targeted for who they are.

"Hate crimes not only have a detrimental impact on the victim but can also have a wider impact on our local communities."