Man who attacked woman in violent homophobic attack gets four-month prison sentence
Martin Stephens threw his victim against a wall and punched her in the mouth
By Steve Brown
A man who attacked a woman in a violent homophobic attack has received a four-month prison sentence.
Martin Stephens pleaded guilty to assaulting the 19-year-old woman during a night out in Weymouth this May, the Dorset Echo reported.
Stephens, 39, had been drinking heavily and attempted to make conversation with a friend of the victim, Crown prosecutor Charles Nightingale said during the trial at Weymouth Magistrates Court.
Nightingale said: “An altercation arose between the defendant and this group of young people outside the Boombox nightclub.”
After the victim tried pulling her friend away, Stephens lost his temper and grabbed her by her hair and threw her against the wall of a building.
He proceeded to punch her in the mouth leaving her with blood streaming from her mouth and a major swelling on the back of her head.
Stephens also launched a tirade of homophobic abuse against the victim. She called the police despite threats from Stephens who said he would kill her if he spent a day in jail.
The attacker – who is also serving an ongoing 18-month sentence for a previous crime – was handed the four-month sentence.