Gay couple ‘kicked and stoned’ by homophobic teens who threatened to ‘rape their dog’

A gay couple were kicked, verbally abused and had rocks thrown at them by a group of teenagers in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland.

Ivan Miadini claims he and his husband, who were walking their dog, were targeted for more than a minute, leaving one of them with a broken nose and both traumatised.

Miadini told the Michael Reade Show on LMFM Radio that they were kicked, stoned and subjected to being called “f****ts and queers” by the attackers who, he claimed, also threaten to “rape their dog”. 

The victim filmed the attack, with the clip being shared with Dublin Live in a bid to identify the culprits.

“I didn’t film with the intention of sharing it with the garda [police]. I think there is another way to go here,” Miadini said.

He wants to “find out who these people are and see what their situation is. I really want to know before taking this further down the line.”

He said: “They started throwing punches and rocks, even bigger rocks. It all happened so fast, like in a minute. The vitriol, the things that they were saying, even accusing us of being pedophiles.”

‘These teenage gangs should not get away with this’

A garda source, who hopes the couple make an official complaint, told Dublin Live they are aware of the video, which he called shocking. 

“These teenage gangs should not get away with this. There is no excuse for such vile homophobic and racist abuse,” he said.

Imelda Munster, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on tourism, sport and media, spoke to the couple and referred to the attack as horrible. 

“These are two law-abiding citizens going out for a walk with their dog when they are attacked in broad daylight because of who they are. It was a horrible experience for them and absolutely wrong.

“Who do these gang of thugs think they are? They must be tracked down and brought to justice for what they did. Under no circumstances should these thugs get away with this. It was a frightening incident and everyone in Drogheda is shocked and angry.”

The attack follows a gay man being the victim of a knife attack at Baltic Pride where he was giving a speech.