Five Lesbians Attacked by Group of Men Outside Bar in England

Five lesbians were victims of a homophobic attack by more than 15 men Sunday night in Portsmouth, England, reports The News, a local newspaper.

Eight women has just left the Blue Anchor bar in Portsmouth and were singing when they were approached by a group of men standing outside another club who shouted homophobic slurs at them. Five women, ages 23 through 32, were injured; one of the them was hit so hard that she lost seven teeth.

"The men had got off the girls but they were still hitting the older woman, I'd say at least 20 or 30 times," the sister of one of the victims told The News. "I was begging them to stop. It wasn't until they heard the sirens that they threw her and ran off. They dropped her like she was nothing and ran back into the club."

Friends of the victims tried to intervene, but the men continued their attack. Another witness told The News, "There was at least seven men on [one of the victims], they would not stop hitting her. There was children there and the women were begging them to stop. It was like a riot from their side."

Police have arrested four men on suspicion of attacking the women. They have been released but are still under investigation, a spokeswoman told the paper, and officers are continuing to search for suspects.