London bus attack: Fifth arrest after gay couple who refused to kiss beaten
Media playback is unsupported on your device
A boy aged 16 has been arrested over a homophobic attack which left two women covered in blood after refusing to kiss on a bus.
Melania Geymonat, 28, said the attack on her and partner Chris happened on the top deck of a London night bus.
A group of young men began harassing them when they discovered the women were a couple, asking them to kiss while making sexual gestures.
Four other males aged between 15 and 18 remain in custody, the Met said.
They are being questioned on suspicion of robbery and aggravated grievous bodily harm.
Speaking about the attack, which happened in the early hours of 30 May, Ms Geymonat told BBC Radio 4’s World at One she had previously experienced “a lot of verbal violence”.
But she said she had never before been physically attacked because of her sexuality.
Image copyright
Sfd
Ms Geymonat says she has not been able to go back to work since the attack
Asked whether the attack left her less willing to show affection in public, Chris, who lives in north London but is originally from the US, said: “I am not scared about being visibly queer.
“If anything, you should do it more.”
Ms Geymonat, who is a doctor but currently works for Ryanair as a stewardess, said she agreed.
Chris said: “I was and still am angry. It was scary, but this is not a novel situation.”
Image copyright
Melania Geymonat
Melania Geymonat (right) and her date Chris were assaulted and robbed on a route N31 bus in Camden
Over the five years to 2018, reported homophobic hate crimes across London have increased from 1,488 in 2014 to 2,308 in 2018, according to the Met Police’s crime dashboard.
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd jailed for bottle attack
Speedboat killer Jack Shepherd has been jailed for four more years for assaulting a barman with a bottle.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty at Exeter Crown Court to attacking the former soldier in Newton Abbot, Devon, in March 2018.
Shepherd admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm over the attack, which involved a vodka bottle.
He is currently serving six years in prison for the killing of a woman in a speedboat crash on the River Thames.
He returned to the UK in April after going on the run to Georgia to avoid justice over the manslaughter of Charlotte Brown, 24.
Image copyright
Family handout
Charlotte Brown died in December 2015 when Shepherd took her on a date on his speedboat
Shepherd, whose address was given as Charles Street, Bristol, appeared before the court via video link.
The attack on David Beech at the White Hart Hotel happened shortly before Shepherd fled the country in March 2018.
The court was shown CCTV footage of Shepherd slamming a vodka bottle into Mr Beech’s head after he told Shepherd and a drunken friend to leave.
The barman had served in Afghanistan where he was shot in the head in 2014 and he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, the court heard.
“Your assault undid in a matter of seconds the good progress he had made over the years,” said Judge David Evans, sentencing Shepherd.
Mr Beech said being hit by the bottle was “like a blow from a baseball bat”.
He had to be taken to hospital and his wound stitched and glued.
During the sentencing hearing, Shepherd appeared to sob and wipe tears from his face.
Shepherd and Charlotte Brown were thrown from the boat
Ms Brown died in December 2015 when Shepherd took her on a date on his speedboat, a trial in July last year heard.
The pair were both thrown from the boat when it hit branches in the water near Wandsworth Bridge.
Ms Brown, from Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, was found in the water unconscious and unresponsive, while Shepherd was discovered clinging to the upturned boat.
His trial was told that he was responsible for the speedboat, which had a series of serious defects, including to its steering.
He was jailed for an extra six months in April for fleeing the country.
The four-year jail sentence for attacking Mr Beech will run consecutively to his current jail terms.
Shepherd has been granted the right to appeal against his conviction for manslaughter.