An 11-year-old boy has been assaulted and verbally abused in an incident being treated as racially motivated.
The victim was punched in the head and kicked to the floor, while being verbally abused, in the assault which happened at about 8pm on October 6 in the Somerset town of Bridgwater.
Investigating officer Pc Jennifer Atkinson, said: "This is a worrying incident in which a young boy has been attacked and verbally abused. We're treating this as a hate crime due to the words used by the offender during the attack.
"The victim suffered bruising but thankfully no serious injuries.
"We've referred him to our Lighthouse Safeguarding Unit, so we can make sure that he and his family get all the help and support they need as the criminal investigation progresses.
"This happened in a residential area in the early evening so we'd ask anyone who saw all or part of this assault to come forward."
The local constabulary Avon and Somerset Police is appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward.
