THEGAYUK

Tag: Crime

All the latest breaking news crime in the UK and aboard. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on Crime.

  • Man sentenced for transphobic hate crime

    A man in his 30s has been sentenced to 2 months for a transphobic hate crime in Surrey, UK.

    38-year-old Darren McClean pleaded guilty to abusive behaviour towards a trans woman in Surrey. He was sentenced at Guildford Crown Court. He was handed a 2-month sentence behind bars on the 21st April.

    On the 15th March McClean (Pictured) verbally abused Ms Philppa Baker, whilst she was shopping at a local supermarket in Caterham.

    Ms Baker was buying groceries at the self-serve checkout when McClean started shouting offensive and transphobic comments at her. She approached McClean and asked him to stop however he continued and began taking pictures of her on his mobile phone.

     

    McClean was eventually removed from the supermarket by security staff leaving Ms Baker shaken by the attack.

    Following the incident, McClean posted images taken on his mobile phone onto Facebook where he continued to make transphobic and hateful comments.

    Ms Baker said,

    “The comments that were made to me were completely vile. He spoke with such hatred which I have not been subjected to previously. I was just minding my own business paying for my items when I was caught off guard by the abuse I received. I would like to thank PC Kara Lyford and Surrey Police for their support and reassurance throughout the case. ”

    PC Kara Lyford said,

    “Philippa was subjected to an awful ordeal whilst simply going about her day to day life. McLean not only verbally abused her but then proceeded to threaten her and take pictures of her without her consent. When she asked him to stop, he refused and continued to hurl abuse and made extremely offensive and unacceptable comments.”

    “As a result Philippa has suffered a great deal and has feared for her personal safety. I would like to reassure the residents of Caterham and particularly our LGBT+ communities that we do not tolerate hate crime in any way. We take all reports of hate seriously and will take action. This sentencing result will hopefully give Philippa a sense of justice that she deserves.”

    If you have been a victim of hate crime, please contact Surrey Police on 101 or use the online reporting system https://report.police.uk/

  • Teenager hospitalised after homophobic attack with a BRICK

    A teenager was left hospitalised after a horrific assault, in which he was attacked with a brick to the head.

    • The 18-year-old victim was targetted by a “group of men”.

    • Assailants allegedly hurled homophobic verbal abuse at the victim.

    • A brick struck the back of the victim’s head – and he was hospitalised.

    Police are appealing for information after a teenager was attacked with a brick in an apparent homophobic attack in the north of England. The man, who is 18, and has not been named, was hospitalised after the vicious attack by a group of men.

    Police say the victim was subjected to homophobic verbal abuse before throwing a brick at the rear of his head. The attack took place on the cycle path to the rear of Hollis Academy in Saltersgill in Middlesbrough.

    After the attack, the assailants ran off in different directions. One is described as wearing a mustard coloured ‘puffer’ style jacket.

    The incident occurred at around 8:30 PM on Monday 10th April,

    Following the attack, the victim was taken to James Cook University Hospital. He was treated for head injuries and has since been released.

    Anyone with information regarding the incident or the identity of the suspect is asked to contact PC Josh Parry on the non-emergency number 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

  • Gay men “round up” in Chechnya, three reportedly killed

    More than 100 men, suspected of being gay, have been allegedly rounded up and subjected to torture in Chechnya.

     

    According to a Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, dozens of men, suspected of being gay, have disappeared in the Muslim-majority Russian Republic of Chechnya. Three have reportedly been murdered.

    Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov, said, that the report was “lies and disinformation” and claimed that gay people did not “exist in the republic”. The report was even dismissed as a sick April Fool’s joke, by the region’s interior ministry.

    The Republic is known for being very conservative and has a Sunni Muslim majority population. LGBT people who come out are often shunned by their families. Chechnya is formally part of Russia, but functions ostensibly, as an independent state, taking many of Russia’s laws as its own, including Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law, which it passed in 2013.

    Amongst the missing are two television reporters and at least one religious leader.

    The men had been detained in “connection with their nontraditional sexual orientation, or suspicion of such,” Novaya Gazeta reported.

    According to The Independent Tatyana Lokshina of the Human Rights Watch in Moscow said,

    “It’s a vicious attack against LGBT people. It’s happened for several weeks under order of leadership,”

    She revealed that many of the men had been tortured and humiliated. She said that there had been reports that three had been killed.

     

     

  • Brighton Homophobic attackers’ sentence increased

    Brighton Homophobic attackers’ sentence increased

    Two thugs who attacked and hospitalised two men in Brighton last year have had their prison sentences increased.

    CREDIT: Brighton Police

    Gage Vye-Parminter, 18, of Breydon Walk, and Matthew Howes, 19, of Weald Drive, were both originally jailed for five years in a young offender institution for the homophobic attack on two men in Brighton last year. They admitted GHB and assault on two men in the city’s centre. They were ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge.

    The youngest of the two victims suffered fractured eye sockets, nose and cheekbones. Pictures of the victims shocked the community last year after news of the attack made its way onto social media.

    However, their sentences have been increased to seven years after the Government’s Solicitor General Robert Buckland challenged the “unduly lenient” sentence. The court agreed to extend the time to reflect that it was a hate crime.

    Speaking after the hearing, Mr Buckland QC said,

    “This vicious attack was totally unprovoked and has left the victims with long-term emotional and physical scars. It will take the victims a considerable amount of time to recover from this.

    “I thought the sentence was unduly lenient as it failed to adequately take into account that this attack was motivated by hate.

    “I hope the court’s decision to impose a longer prison sentence, to include the sentence uplift, sends a clear message to society that such offences will not be tolerated.”

  • Man pleads guilty to supplying drugs to the Grindr killer Stephen Port

    Man pleads guilty to supplying drugs to the Grindr killer Stephen Port

    A man has admitted in court that he supplied drugs to convicted killer, Stephen Port who murdered four young men in London between 2015 and 2016.

    Gerald Matovu
    CREDIT: Met Police

    Gerald Matovu, 23, of Great Guildford Street, Southwark SE1 pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday, 28 March to supplying class B drug mephedrone (commonly known as Meow Meow), and class C drug GHB to Port between 1 July and 31 August 2015.

    He also admitted offering to supply GHB to Port between the same dates. He will be sentenced on Wednesday, 26 April. 

    The offences came to light during the investigation into Port’s extensive crimes. 

    Stephen Port, 42, a chef, of Cooke Street, Barking, was sentenced to a whole life term in November 2016 for the murder of four young gay men and drugging and sexually assaulting another seven victims.

    Port bought the drugs from Matovu for use during consensual sex with his partner. Phone records and downloads from electronic devices belonging to Port clearly showed contact with Matovu and Port had described Matovu as his drug dealer to his partner.

    In messages, Matovu told Port he had “loads of G” and asked how much he wanted.

    Matovu was arrested on 15 June 2016 and charged on 27 October 2016.

    The IPCC is to undertake interviews with 17 Met Police officers as part of their investigation into the service’s response to the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth, and Jack Taylor – the victims of Stephen Port’s serial killings.

     

  • Lucy Spraggan hurt in vicious attack after Brighton gig

    Singer-songwriter Lucy Spaggan was attacked after a gig in Brighton, leaving her with cuts and bruises.

    Lucy Spraggan, who came to fame during X Factor in 2012, published a picture of her clutching a clump of her hair and face full of cuts and bruises after she left a gig in Brighton.

    Lucy, along with her wife and her guitarist were assaulted by people unknown which left her with whiplash and cuts and bruises on her face. She told her fans on Twitter that Sussex Police had been informed and had been “amazing”.

    Talking about her attack she said,

    “Was attacked tonight after the show inBrightonn, along with my guitarist and wife.
    #SussexPolice have been amazing and are pursuing a charge.

    “Got a bit of whiplash and a few bruises but we’re all good. Scary shit, man. Be safe out there!”

     

  • Physical homophobic attack on two men in Oxford

    Police investigators in Oxford are appealing to the general public for information after two men were verbally and physically attacked in Oxford in February.

    Thames Valley police are appealing for information following a verbal attack on two men in Oxford on the 15th February, at 3 AM in the morning, following Valentine’s day.

    On 15 February at around 3 AM, three people were driving along Park End Street when they began to shout homophobic abuse at a man and his friends who were out on the street.

    The car then stopped and an alleged physical altercation took place between two offenders and the victim before the offenders escaped in their vehicle.

    This is the second homophobic incident recorded for Valentine’s night. The first was a physical assault on two boyfriends on a London-bound train in Ealing.

    Fortunately, the victim, a 29-year-old man, did not sustain any injuries during the incident.

    Investigating officer, PC Barry Duplock, based at Cowley Police station, said,

    “We would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this incident or recognises these people or the car as they may have information which is vital to the investigation.”

    If you have any information please contact PC Duplock via the Thames Valley Police Enquiry Centre on 101.

    If you have any information relating to this case, please call 101 quoting reference ‘43170045600’, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.

  • Man fighting for his life after being punched outside gay bar in London

    Man fighting for his life after being punched outside gay bar in London

    A man is fighting for his life after an alleged “one punch” attack outside a gay bar in central London.

    Admiral Duncan
    CREDIT: TheGayUK

    A man has been hospitalised and reportedly fighting for his life after been knocked unconscious outside the Admiral Duncan gay pub in Soho, London. According to witnesses, a fight broke out before the 39-year-old man was allegedly punched, just once, before falling to the ground where he lay unconscious.

    The victim was drinking with friends inside the pub before the alleged attack. An ambulance was called and the victim was taken to a nearby hospital.

    His condition has been reported as critical but stable.

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    The Metropolitan Police are not treating this attack as a homophobic crime and arrested a 23-year-old in the early hours of this morning (16th March) on suspicion of GBH. They said, “He remains in custody at an east London police station”.

     

     

  • Man fined for shouting homophobic abuse in Glasgow

    A man has been fined after shouting homophobic abuse toward a group of people in Glasgow.

    © claudiodivizia Depositphotos

    Thomas Morin, 66, was handed a £500 fine by the Glasgow Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to shouting homophobic abuse at a number of people in Glasgow at the Queen Street station on the 4th March.

    Appearing in court six days later the man was fined £500 after he pleaded guilty.

    Arresting officer PC Alan Kavanagh, said,

     “Targeting anyone with intimidating abuse because of who they are is disgusting and we will never tolerate it. Our officers were patrolling the station when we heard his comments so were quickly able to detain him and bring him before the courts. 

    “I am pleased that Morin was handed this fine and I hope he thinks again before acting in such an offensive way.

    “If anyone ever experiences homophobic or hate related abuse I would encourage them to report it to BTP. You can send a text discreetly to 61016 and we will investigate”.

  • Another “homophobic” assault on London’s transport system

    Another “homophobic” assault on London’s transport system

    Police are looking to speak to a man in connection with a “homophobic” and “racist” incident in London.

    british transport police pimlico homophobia

    British Transport Police are looking to speaking to a man in connection to an incident in London, which they are calling a ” homophobic and racist incident”.

    Two members of the public were allegedly subjected to homophobic and racist language during the incident which took place on Friday 10th March.

    The police report that an elderly man was pushed off a train, and members of the public who tried to intervene were abused with homophobic and racist language. A man travelling on the service apparently became loud and abusive and pushed an elderly man from the train at Victoria.

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    The report states that members of the public, a 33-year-old man and a 22-year-old woman, challenged the offender’s behaviour and the man verbally used them with racist and homophobic language.

    The incident happened on Friday 10 March at around 1.30pm, on the Victoria line southbound between Green Park and Pimlico.

    Officers would like to speak to the man shown in the CCTV image as he may have information which could help with the investigation.

    If you recognise him, please contact British Transport Police by calling 0800 40 50 40 or text information to 61016, quoting reference number 194 11/03/17.

  • Horrific glass attack on two boyfriends in London

    Two boyfriends, who were holding hands in a pub in Peckham, London were subjected to a horrific glass attack. Leaving one of them needing hospital treatment.

     

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