COP WHO PROPOSED TO BOYFRIEND AT GAY PRIDE REGRETS HAPPENINGS

PC Phil Adlem's romantic proposal was one of the highlights of last year's Pride - but the aftermath was very upsetting

A police officer who proposed to his boyfriend at London's Gay Pride has admitted he regretted his decision to get down on one knee at the event.

PC Phil Adlem shocked his boyfriend when he stepped away from his duties and popped the question in front of thousands of people at last year's event.

Luckily, his partner said yes and the pair shared a romantic kiss while crowds cheered.

Phil then returned to his colleagues and carried on his duties as normal.

Videos of the emotional moment were posted online and shared thousands of times.

Writing for the The Guardian , Phil now admits he wished he never made the public proposal due to the shocking abuse he has faced online.

Although the immediate response he received was overwhelmingly positive, a while after he decided to read some of the online comments.

He said: "I looked through the online comments from the British public. Most were fantastic.

"But my smile did not last long as I continued reading."

He found countless disgusting homophobic comments including "both should be hanged till death" and "don't blame ISIS if they strike them".

He was offered media interviews but turned them down as a result of the vile comments.

Phil says: "A further hostile reaction at work from one of my colleagues and another from an old college friend was enough for me to wish I had never done it."

Phil, who is a speaker for a LGBT charity, also revealed he subjected to a brutal homophobic attack on his 18th birthday.

He told The Guardian : "Despite all this, I know I am lucky. I am lucky to live in a time when I can join the police service as an openly gay man – and I have previous generations to thank for that.

"But even among young people in Britain today, my story is far from unique."