Man who attacked gay men with bleach gets prison sentence

A man has been given a prison sentence of over two years for attacking three gay men in Vauxhall earlier this year – but a judge ruled that the attack was not motivated by homophobia.

Two gay men were sprayed with bleach outside a Vauxhall club in the early hours of June 8, while a third gay man was attacked in the vicinity of the club on the same night.

Jonathan William Lynn, 31, of Worcester Park in south-west London, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon – namely, the bleach – and the Inner London Crown Court heard that some of the victims were left with ulcers in their eyes and mouths, as well as “significant” psychological problems, ITV reports.

Sentencing Lynn to a prison sentence of two years and four months, Recorder David Etherington QC told the court: “I make this clear: this was a vile, violent, cowardly and disgraceful attack by you, but I do not find it was motivated by dislike or hate of people of homosexual orientation. You wrecked a number of people’s lives.”