A man who left a 16-year-old boy 'struggling to breathe' after strangling him in a unprovoked homophobic attack told him “I am going to choke you out if you are gay”.
Marc Bevan, 39, of Kirkfield Grove, Rock Ferry, pleaded guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday. Detailing the incident that took place back in November 2021, Gerald Baxter, prosecuting, told the court that the teen victim and his friends had been on Southport Pier when one of them made a joke.
The comment was overheard by the defendant, who then approached the group and said “what did you just say to me”, and called the victim a “f****t”. When the victim told Bevan the joke was not about him and that he shouldn't be using the slur, he started behaving aggressively, the Liverpool Echo reports.
