A British Olympic athlete, Ms Ashia Hansen and her partner, Mr Chris Cotter, were in hiding yesterday after a racist attack left Mr Cotter with stab wounds to his back and face, writes Rachel Donnelly.
A former long jumper, Mr Cotter, who is white, was stabbed on Tuesday near the home he shares with Ms Hansen in Birmingham after being approached by a white man who was shouting racist abuse about their mixed-race relationship. Four other white men walked up behind Mr Cotter and he was stabbed in the back and slashed across the forehead. Mr Cotter was also kicked and punched during the attack.
Supt Tony Garbett, of West Midlands Police, revealed at a press conference that Mr Cotter had received a racist call on his mobile telephone a few days earlier and that Ms Hansen, tipped for a gold triple jump medal at this year's Olympics, had received a "poison pen" letter. The letter is being linked to the attack on Mr Cotter.