Man behind ‘savage’ homophobic attack jailed for over four years
A man behind a homophobic attack described as “savage” by a judge has been jailed for four and a half years.
Shane Baynham, 23, was told that the “motivation for and the savagery of” his attack on a victim he perceived as gay were “truly disturbing”.
Baynham of Bedworth, was found guilty following the trial.
He fractured his victim’s eye socket and nose, reports the Coventry Telegraph.
Baynham met his victim, who was out with his female fiance, at a social club in Bedworth, the judge said. He said the victim was later called “queer” and was likened to Jimmy Saville.
Later on, after the victim ignored his taunts, and the two crossed paths in Bedworth town centre, and despite attempts to avoid him, Baynham attacked the victim, throwing several punches.
The judge said that the incident, captured on CCTV, left the victim bleeding so badly, eye witnesses “thought that he was dead”.
Judge Alan Parker said: “His face was grotesquely swollen following the attack, and he was just smothered in blood.”
Andrew Tucker, defending Baynham, said the defendant had voluntarily placed himself on an alcohol awareness course.
Jailing Baynham, Judge Parker told him: “It was in my judgment motivated by hostility based on his presumed sexual orientation. He is not homosexual, but by calling him a fucking queer you were demonstrating unequivocal hostility based on the victim’s wrongly-presumed sexual orientation.’’
