Man ‘attacked by gay men’ after calling Eddie Izzard a ‘f*cking poofter’
A man accused of anti-gay behaviour towards comedian Eddie Izzard claims he was beaten up by two gay men in a revenge attack.
Jamie Penny claims he was attacked by gay men after allegedly hurling homophobic abuse at Eddie Izzard.
During a dramatic court appearance, Penny told reporters that the attack was part of a “big f*cking conspiracy” against him.
The alleged homophobe – who appeared in court charged with two counts of using threatening and abusive words or behaviour – bizarrely claimed that the “campaign” against him was led by “people all f*cking dress as women.”
Penny was arrested after he allegedly threatened to “do” Mr Izzard’s house when the star – who was also the victim of homophobic abuse at a football match earlier this year – refused him and a lift in his car.
A month later, in May, he apparently called Mr Izzard a “f*cking poofter” after seeing him again – leading prosecutors to treat his actions as a hate crime.
During his hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Penny claimed he was “assaulted” by two gay men because of the allegations, reports the Metro.
“Wait wait wait wait. I’m not going to plead today,” he told District Judge Jeremy Coleman.
“I have been abused by two gay men in Soho, assaulted.
“Assaulted because I have been in the paper, lies told about me.
“I didn’t say nothing to Eddie Izzard, he’s a f***ing liar,” Penny added.
“I’m not entering a plea, sorry mate.”
“I am not your ‘mate’,” the judge replied.
Following Penny’s further refusal to enter a bid, Judge Coleman said: “What I’m going to do in the circumstances is to enter not guilty pleas and we will look for a hearing date.
“And that will mean you will have plenty of time to look for a lawyer in the future.”
Penny later told reporters in the public gallery: “As I have said, my dad died this week, I have had too many problems, I have been assaulted twice because of the lies that have been put in the paper.
“That’s why it’s all a big f*cking conspiracy you’ve got people here writing stuff about me because people all f***ing dress as women.”
Despite describing himself as a transvestite in the past, in recent years Izzard has more broadly described himself as trans.
He explained earlier this year during a marathon challenge: “I am a transgender guy who came out 31 years ago.”
