YouTuber Calum McSwiggan pleads guilty to vandalism during alleged anti-gay attack
British YouTube star Calum McSwiggan has pleaded guilty to vandalising a car during an incident he claimed was an anti-gay attack in Los Angeles.
He was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 52 anger management sessions in the US, and must pay a $400 (£318) fine and $7,000 (£5,580) in compensation.
McSwiggan claimed that he had been beaten in a horrific anti-gay attack outside a West Hollywood nightclub this June, and posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed on social media.
told his followers that he had three broken teeth and needed stitches in his head after being attacked by three men.
However a witness quickly claimed the story was “completely made up,” while the police said that they arrested McSwiggan after they found him vandalising a nearby car.
The police then reported that at least some of McSwiggan’s injuries were self-inflicted when he hit himself with a telephone while in police custody.
The YouTuber and former porn actor admitted that he had hit himself with the payphone, but denied faking the initial attack.
He was eventually charged with filing a false police report, which he strongly denied, and had to appear in a US court over the charges.
This week he pleaded guilty to the vandalism charge, and as part of his plea deal the police dropped the misdemeanour charge of filing a false report – saving him from a potential year-long prison sentence.
The YouTuber went on social media after the hearing to share his reaction to the sentence, emphasising that the charge of falsifying a police report had been dropped.
Five months ago I was accused of the crime of falsifying a police report after I was assaulted outside a nightclub – a crime I didn’t commit
— Calum McSwiggan (@CalumMcSwiggan) November 8, 2016
After five months of investigation this charge has finally been dropped. I never lied and I’m grateful that the world can now see that.
— Calum McSwiggan (@CalumMcSwiggan) November 8, 2016
After the assault I made the mistake of damaging the culprit’s car. I regret this & have accepted the consequences & paid for the damages.
— Calum McSwiggan (@CalumMcSwiggan) November 8, 2016
McSwiggan has released a number of popular videos on sex education and LGBT issues, including working with charities such as Switchboard LGBT+ and the Terrence Higgins Trust.
