Brighton: Three men jailed over homophobic attack on gay man in St James’s Street
Three men have been jailed after being found guilty of a vicious homophobic assault and a racially motivated attack in Brighton.
Bradley Brachman, 19, unemployed, of Egmont Road, Hove; Andrew Wilson, a painter, of Manor Hill, Brighton and Rhys Pryer, 19, unemployed, of Wilfrid Road, Brighton, were all found guilty of wounding with intent and actual bodily harm at Brighton Crown Court on 23 October.
Brighton and Hove News reports the men were sentenced on Friday 21 November. Each received four years’ imprisonment for GBH and one year to run consecutively for ABH. Wilson also received six months for theft of a mobile phone.
The trial heard the men carried out their first attack just before midnight on 16 August 2013, hitting a victim over the head with bottles at the junction of Edward Street and Dorset Place, Brighton.
The victim suffered head wounds, required hospital treatment and received permanent scarring.
Brachman, Pryer and Wilson then moved on to the bottom of St James’s Street where they hurled homophobic abuse at a 34-year-old man before punching him and chasing him across Old Steine to the bus stops near Pavilion Gardens where they continued the assault. He was taken to hospital where his wounds required stitching.
In summing up, His Honour Judge Anthony Niblett described the attacks as unprovoked and vicious. He said that the attacks were motivated by the strong eastern European accent of the first victim and the fact that the second man was gay.
