A drive to crack down on homophobic crimes in the UK has proved a failure.

When the nationwide campaign was launched last April, the Crown Prosecution Service wanted to do something about the large number of homophobic crimes going unreported.

But only 81 cases have made it to court since the Criminal Justice Bill was toughened up.

A clause put homophobic crime on a par with race crime. Both would be treated as aggravated offences and attract a greater punishment.

Courts were also told to stop using the word homosexual and replace it with LGBT, which means lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.

In Brighton, members of the St James's Street Action Group raised concerns about the high level of gay crime in the area after a man needed 11 stitches when his neck was slashed in what was believed to be a homophobic attack.

Sussex Police have recently launched True Vision packs which allow victims or witnesses to homophobic crimes to report the incidents more easily. The packs were a huge success at this year's Pride festival.