Attacker assaulted victim for 15-20 minutes and then forced him to beg for an ambulance
A 29-year-old man in Kent, England, has pleaded guilty to a violent assault on a gay man. It ended with him taunting the man and making him beg to call for an ambulance.
Luke Pope, of Douglas Avenue, Whitstable, shared a taxi with the victim after leaving a nightclub in Ashford, Kent, on 2 February.
After being dropped off, he began his attack, knocking the victim to the ground.
A statement from the victim was read out yesterday when the case came to Folkestone Magistrates’ Court.
‘He kicked me in the ribs a couple of times. I tried to curl up in the fetal position to protect myself.
‘He was squeezing my neck. At one point I thought I was going to pass out.
‘He then let go and smashed my head on the floor.
‘He then took my mobile phone off me. He left me on the floor, and threw me over a low fence and into a stream.
‘Then he made me beg to call an ambulance. I had to ask three or four times before he called one.’
‘Get the police or I will fucking kill you’
Prosecutor Anna Kachingwe added more details. She said the defendant had called the victim dirty, disgusting and wrong.
‘The victim believed this took place due to his sexuality.
‘The victim said the defendant then started blaming him for being one of the reasons that the defendant’s brother was gay, saying the victim had slept with his brother.
‘He then said to the victim the only reason he was letting him live was because he was being nice.’
Pope then told the defendant to call the police or he would be killed.
‘The 999 operators could hear Pope in the background saying, “get the police or I will fucking kill you, I’m going to come down and finish you off, you fucking cunt”,’ said Kachingwe.
Pleads guilty
Pope pleaded guilty yesterday to causing actual bodily harm. He said he was ashamed of his actions. Pope’s defending barrister, George Crowe, said his client had shown great remorse. He also said Pope has experienced mental health issues.
‘There is a number of underlying issues here. Drink is the main one, but there are mental health issues as well.
‘He hasn’t touched drink since.’
Although pleading guilty at magistrates’ court, due to the severity of the attack, he will be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court at a later date.
