Homophobic attack victim Evan Somers says fraudster impersonating him to scam public

Evan Somers (23) remains in hospital following surgery on his ankle, which suffered two fractures and a dislocation, following an unprovoked assault on Dame Street on Saturday night.

Now Evan says a "sick person" has created fake social media profiles mimicking his own in an attempt to illicit money from the public under the guise of fundraising.

Evan has asked the public to report the fake account and insisted he will not be asking anyone for money.

"FAKE ACCOUNT. This sick person is trying to scam people into sending them money by pretending to be me. Do not send any money to anyone, I will not be looking for any money at any stage and all communication will come from this account," Evan tweeted on Tuesday.

The scammer used Evan's picture and name in the account but just slightly changed the Twitter handle.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, Justice Minister Helen McEntee, Leinster Rugby and singer Boy George were among those to condemn the assault on Evan, with the Tánaiste saying he was "appalled" by the attack.

In a post on Twitter, he said: "Shocked and appalled that an assault of this nature occurred in our capital city. Will discuss with Helen McEntee re Garda presence on our street and new hate crime laws. Sorry about what happened. Wishing you a swift recovery."

Boy George has also condemned the attack on Twitter, writing: "What did your freedom to be who you are stir in this vile creature. I'm sorry for what have been through and hope they catch him."

Mr Somers is a member of the Emerald Warriors RFC, Ireland's first LGBT+ inclusive rugby team.

Evan shared an update from his hospital bed on Monday night, saying he has had one surgery on his leg and will need another.

The 23-year-old also said he may need surgery on his fractured eye socket.

Evan said he was attacked after a "stranger called me a fa***t before beating the shit out of me.

"He left me with a fractured eye socket, two fractures in my ankle, a dislocation in my ankle and some other minor injuries.

"We've come a long way but still have such a long way to go in terms of equality.

"Genuinely didn't share this for attention, I felt like it needed to be seen instead of hidden away because this is the reality of what so many LGBTQ+ people go through regularly and if it makes you uncomfortable, maybe it should.

"For those wondering where this happened, it was on Dame Street in Dublin not too far away from Gay Spar/The George and it was about 3.30am."

Gardaí have said they are investigating all the circumstances surrounding the assault, "including any hate related motivation".