UK: Gang of three jailed over anti-gay assault on man lured to house off chat room
Three Slovakian friends, who brutally beat a man in a homophobic assault in Cheshire, have been jailed.
Dominic Nagy, Vladimir Puchala and Martin Uhlar, all living in Warrington, attacked the victim after he was invited to a house for drinks in June last year.
The defendants, aged between 24 and 33, punched the victim repeatedly and shouted homophobic abuse as he tried to escape the house on 1 June 2013.
He had been lured there after chatting to a man he believed to be called Stephan on a Slovakian chat room for several hours earlier that day.
The trial heard Puchala entered the room and started to punch the victim shouting homophobic insults at him.
Uhlar and Nagy then joined in, with all three men repeatedly punching the victim in the head.
The victim managed to escape and was later treated at Warrington Hospital for bruising and swelling and was kept in overnight due to his head injuries.
The three men were convicted of the attack last month at Halton Magistrates Court.
The Warrington Guardian reports District Judge Bridget Knight saying in her sentencing remarks: “It is difficult to think of a more terrifying ordeal than the complainant in this case had to go through.
“He was invited to your address and then he was set upon by all three of you.
“He was punched hard to his head and face several times while being subjected to homophobic abuse.
“He suffers from anxiety and stress and has not been able to return to work.”
Nagy, 24, was handed 26 week and four week sentences for assault by beating and possession of the knife, Ulhar, 33, was given 23 weeks in prison and Puchala, 30, was told to serve 20 weeks both for assault by beating.
