Two men have been jailed for a homophobic attack that took place in Brighton last year.
Gage Vye-Parminter, 18, of Breydon Walk, and Matthew Howes, 19, of Weald Drive, have both been jailed for five years for the homophobic attack on two men in Brighton. 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.
The court heard that officers in a patrolling police car were flagged down by a passing taxi driver who told them two men had just been attacked in Kings Road, on the south pavement opposite the Queens Hotel.
Vye-Parminter and Howes were arrested at the scene and taken into custody for questioning. The victims said the pair were walking behind them along the seafront shouting homophobic comments at them. The 22-year-old, who now lives in Camberley, Surrey, said he then remembered being knocked to the floor and attacked before losing consciousness.
The attack was just one of the anti-gay attacks that rocked Brighton’s gay scene in 2016.
Detective constable Sarah Townsend said:
“This was a violent and unprovoked homophobic attack on two men who were singled out for their sexual orientation.
“This sentence sends out a clear signal that we will take a robust approach to those who target individuals based on their race, disability, gender identity, religion or sexual orientation.
“I hope this case will encourage other victims of hate crime to report such behaviour and violence to the police.”
