One in five gays and lesbians has been the victim of a hate crime or incident in the past three years, according to a new report.

The report, carried out by gay charity Stonewall with Home Office support, followed the conviction of two men for the homophobic murder of 24-year-old barman Jody Dobrowski on Clapham Common in October, 2005.

It also says that three-quarters of victims do not report crimes - a third because they do not think police can, or will, do anything about it.

Of those that were reported only one in 25 saw it result in a conviction, the survey found.

Chief executive Ben Summerskill said: "It's entirely unacceptable in 2008 that anyone should live in fear of attack and abuse simply because of who they are.

"This evidence is a scar on the face of a modern nation."

The charity says its research is the first statistically significant national survey of its kind into homophobic crime.

Its report recommends encouraging police to improve the recording of homophobic incidents and tackling bullying in schools and offices.