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Gareth Thomas says he was victim of hate crime in Cardiff

South Wales Police confirm 16-year-old boy was dealt with using "restorative justice"

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Gareth Thomas has spoken on being attacked in Cardiff because of his sexuality

Former Wales and British & Irish Lions captain Gareth Thomas says he was the victim of a hate crime in his home city of Cardiff on Saturday night.

The 44-year-old posted a video on Twitter, in which he appears with cuts and bruises on his face and head.

Thomas, who revealed that he is gay in 2009, says he was attacked because of his sexuality.

In the video, he thanked the police for allowing him to carry out "restorative justice" on his attackers, and the people of Cardiff for supporting him.

Gareth Thomas
Image: Gareth Thomas played in 100 Tests for Wales and three for the Lions

In what he said he hoped would be a "positive message", Thomas said: "Last night I was the victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality.

"I want to say thank you to the police who were involved and were very helpful and allowed me to do restorative justice with the people who did this because I thought they could learn more that way than any other.

"Also to the people of Cardiff, who supported me and helped me because there's a lot of people out there who want to hurt us, but unfortunately for them there's a lot more that want to help us heal.

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"So this I hope will be a positive message."

South Wales Police issued a statement confirming an incident involving Thomas, and said a 16-year-old boy had been "dealt with" using "restorative justice" at Thomas' request.

The statement read: "Restorative justice was at the request of Mr Thomas and accepted by the teenager who admitted assault and was apologetic for his actions.

"Restorative justice is about putting victim needs at the centre of the criminal justice system, finding positive solutions to crime and encouraging young people to be accountable for the consequences of their actions."

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