Coronavirus: Men 'threw beer at Chinese cyclist'

Xinhua Wu has lived in the UK for 10 years and said she had never experienced anything like it

Two young men threw beer at a Chinese cyclist in an attack police are treating as a hate crime.

Xinhua Wu, 34, was cycling through Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, when a car slowed down next to her.

She said the pair inside laughed as they threw beer at her. It landed on her jacket, face and inside her mouth.

The mother of three believes it was a racially-motivated attack linked to coronavirus. Nottinghamshire Police is appealing for witnesses.

'Fuming'

She told the BBC: "I was in great shock and I felt embarrassed. A man in a lorry passed by and just laughed.

"I was so disappointed by that - he saw everything but didn't say anything to the other men or ask if I was OK.

"They didn't say anything to me. But it's definitely related to the coronavirus, a lot of people are linking Asian-looking people to it.

"I always see this kind of racist thing in the news but I never expected it to happen to me. I felt unsafe and insecure."

Mrs Wu believes the attack is linked to coronavirus

Her husband, Mark Corbett, 45, added: "I was fuming. It's so silly in the current circumstances to throw something you've been drinking at someone.

"Something they find funny for a brief moment could have a lasting impact on my wife."

Both said they appreciated the support they had received from their neighbours in the village.

Nottinghamshire Police said they had recorded it as a hate crime and urged anyone who saw it to come forward.

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