Man who watched his friend stab a man in a homophobic attack has been jailed
Perry Bentely stood by while the attack took place near a bar in Northampton
By Steve Brown
A man who watched as his friend stab a gay man in a homophobic attack has been jailed.
Perry Bentley, 23, idly stood by as one of his friends stabbed a young gay men twice in the belly during a homophobic attack near a bar in Northampton, the Northampton Chronicle reported.
Instead of helping the victim, Bentley got into a fight with the man’s partner and dislocated his own shoulder during the fight.
During the trial at Northampton Crown Court, the court heard Bentley walked away through the park and tried to throw away the knife that he had been carrying. He was arrested shortly after.
His friend was found guilty of carrying out the stabbing but will be sentenced on May 23.
The victim took to the stand to confront his attacker and said: “When I first saw my scars in hospital, I cried for over an hour at what these men had done to me.
“I have frequent flashbacks… I have nightmares of a man in my room at night. I have been left a shadow of my former self.
“I used to be outgoing and confident, but I find going out just makes me anxious. I don’t think I will ever be the same.”
Bentley was jailed for 20 months for possessing a bladed article in public.