Dundee man charged with ‘making homophobic and racist remarks before hitting woman with a bin’
Overflowing wheelie bins are a common post-Christmas sight. (Getty)
A Dundee man has been accused of making homophobic and racist comments towards a woman and man, before throwing a bin at a second woman.
Robbie Lynch, 20, appeared in court after an alleged incident on December 29.
He has been accused of shouting, swearing and acting aggressively towards a woman and man, who he directed homophobic and racist remarks at respectively.
He then allegedly punched and threw a mobile phone, the Dundee Evening Telegraph reports, before striking the woman and twisting her arms.
Lynch has also been accused of assaulting a second woman by throwing a bin at her. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, and having been granted bail will face trial in April.
‘Serious concerns’ about homophobia among young people.
The alleged incident took place just weeks after reports that homophobia is on the rise among young people.
Galop’s Hate Crime Report 2019 found that 18- to 24-year-olds are increasingly polarised on LGBT+ rights, with one in four believing that being LBGT+ is “immoral or against their beliefs”.
This is a higher proportion than any other age group.
The report found that young people were also the most likely age group to think that LGBT+ people are a “danger” to others, but are also the most likely to believe queer and trans people “should be able to live as they wish”.
Researchers said that “the views expressed by young people in this study gives rise for serious concern”.
“They were often more negative toward LGBT+ people than their older counterparts,” the report read.
“This perhaps indicates that the position of LGBT+ people in society is under threat in future generations.
“More research into the views and opinions of young people and the reasons for these findings is needed, so that hate crime policy and practice can rise to meet these challenges.”
Galop’s report was published on the same day as Home Office hate crime statistics for 2018/19.
The latest figures showed that hate crimes against trans people have risen 37 per cent in just one year, with hate crimes based on sexual orientation up 25 percent.
