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Ring doorbell footage appears to capture a Royal Mail worker allegedly committing a hate crime outside a home in Belfast – police are investigating the matter
This is the moment a Royal Mail postman was caught on camera appearing to kick something, which police are now probing as a possible hate crime.
Ring doorbell footage captured the moment a postman seemed to approach a property and checked if anyone was watching. The video then appeared to show the person kick over a rainbow garden gnome and a planter containing a Pride flag, while no one was looking. One of the occupants at the home, in East Belfast, said she and her fiancée were left “astounded” when they came back home and noticed the damage, but were even more shocked when they checked their doorbell.
The woman, who did not wished to be named, said the pair were left “absolutely stunned” while watching the footage capture on their doorbell.
Speaking to BelfastLive, she said: “We were absolutely stunned when we checked the Ring footage. You never expect to see your own postman looking around to make sure the coast is clear and then deliberately kicking over your property.”
The woman added why she thought the act was “targeted”, adding: “It wasn’t just a gnome and a planter. It felt like a targeted message, and that’s what has really shaken us. There’s no doubt in our minds that this was a homophobic act. These items weren’t in his way. He sought them out and kicked them over on purpose.”
She said that she reported the incident to Royal Mail, on Sunday, and claimed the pair were told someone would be in touch but “we’ve heard nothing since”, on Tuesday.
The occupant added: “It’s added to the stress of the whole situation. At the very least, we expected a call back, some reassurance, or even an acknowledgement that what happened was unacceptable. We are not trying to cause trouble for the sake of it, but we don’t want anyone else to go through something like this.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We have viewed the footage and referred it to local management for investigation. We take this seriously and are looking into what happened as a priority.”
In a further update, they added: “The individual was an agency worker, and their contract assignment has been terminated with immediate effect.”
A police inspector said: “It was reported that a man observed at the house at around 3.35pm on Saturday, 6th December, looked at the plant pot before deliberately kicking it over. This incident is being treated as a homophobic hate crime and our enquiries are ongoing.
“We would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have any information which could assist with our enquiries – including CCTV or other footage – to contact us on 101, quoting reference number 587 of 07/12/25.
“You can also submit a report or information online using the non-emergency reporting form via www.psni.police.uk/makeareport, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.”
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