Watch: Royal Mail postman incident being treated as homophobic hate crime

Royal Mail have confirmed to Belfast Live that the individual’s contract has been terminated with immediate effect

Police are treating an incident in East Belfast involving a Royal Mail postman as a homophobic hate crime.

Ring doorbell footage from the property in Rosebury Gardens appears to show the postman approaching the house to make a delivery before checking that no one was watching and kicking over a rainbow garden gnome and a planter containing a Pride flag.

Speaking to Belfast Live, one of the occupants of the house, who does not wish to be named, explained that she and her fiancée had returned home to the damage and were “astounded” when they discovered it was their postman after reviewing the footage.

“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,” she said.

“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.”

The occupant said that they reported the incident to Royal Mail on Sunday and were told that someone would call them back, but to date, no one has been in touch.

“We reported the incident to Royal Mail straight away and were told someone would be in touch, but we’ve heard nothing since. 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.”

Inspector Adams said: “We received a report at around 11.15am on Sunday, 7th December of a plant pot containing a Pride flag and a garden gnome statue with a rainbow being knocked over at a property in the Rosebery Gardens area. “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/. ”

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.”

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