Merseyside Police has charged a 23-year-old man following an assault in Tranmere this weekend.
Robert Eaton, aged 23, of Woodchurch Road, Oxton has now been charged with Section 47 assault, attempted Section 18 wounding and possession of an offensive weapon.
He was remanded into custody and will appear in at Wirral Adult Remand Court this morning, Tuesday 3 May.
At the time, it was reported that the victim was struck to the face with a glass by an unknown man. It was further reported that the suspect made off on foot and ran into a bus stop, injuring himself.
The victim attended hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries to his face.
Police are treating this incident as a hate crime, as the victim believes the assault was motivated by his gender identity.
Shortly after the attack, Detective Inspector John Holden said, “This was an utterly appalling, unprovoked attack, which police are treating as a hate crime.
“It is completely abhorrent to think that someone could be subject to such physical abuse simply because of their gender identity. Merseyside Police stands against hate crime perpetrated against LGBT+ people and we simply will not tolerate people being targeted in this way.
“I would also take this opportunity to urge any victim of hate crime on Merseyside to please come forward. We have a dedicated team of hate crime co-ordinators who will make sure you will be supported at every step as sensitively as possible.”
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Merseyside Police social media desk via Twitter @MerseyPolice or Facebook Merseyside Police Contact Centre with reference 22000297123.
You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information 
If, for any reason, you do not wish to report a hate crime to the police, the independent charity Stop Hate UK to run a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625 or www.stophateuk.org You can also download the Stop Hate UK reporting app on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Across Merseyside, we also have a number of third party reporting centres including fire stations, citizens advice bureaus and hospitals.
Dedicated support for victims of hate crime is also available through the Victim Care Merseyside service delivered by Citizens Advice. They can be contacted at lgbthatecrime@caliverpool.org.uk or by calling 0151 522 1400 ext. 5006.
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