Vulnerable teenage boy attacked for wearing England top

A DISABLED teenager was attacked at a cinema - because he was wearing an England shirt with David Beckham's name on it.

Brett Clark was grabbed and punched in the face by two teenagers wearing hooded tops.

Mr Clark, who is 19 but has a mental age of 12, was assaulted outside the Vue Cinema at Ocean Terminal in Leith on Sunday.

It follows the beating up of Hugo Clapshaw, seven, who was assaulted in the capital for wearing an England shirt during the World Cup.

The youths who followed Mr Clark out of the cinema called him an "English b******" and punched him.

The vulnerable teenager fled to his sister's house in tears after his attackers left him with a bruised face and bleeding nose.

Mr Clark, from Leith, said: "All through the film they were saying things about my shirt. I was really scared because I knew when the film finished I'd be outside and so would they. One of the lads grabbed my shoulder and punched me in the face."

A police spokeswoman said they were investigating the incident.

She said: "The 19-year-old was sitting in the cinema, and had been harassed by a couple of males. As they were leaving, the 19-year-old felt an arm on his shoulder and was punched in the face.

"This left him with soreness to both sides of his face and a bleeding nose."

Mr Clark's sister, Brooke, 25, said: "Brett thinks Becks is a hero. It's horrible to think of him sitting alone, scared of what would happen when he left."

The attackers are both said to have been about 16 to 18 years old.