London: Two British women were attacked and robbed on a London bus in what the police believe to be a disgusting homophobic assault.
One of the victims later revealed that the attackers tried to force them to kiss each other.
The two women, in their 20s, boarded a night bus in West Hampstead and the incident took place in the early hours of May 30.
“As they sat on the top deck, they were approached by a group of four males who began to make lewd and homophobic comments to them,” read a police statement. “The women were then attacked and punched several times before the males ran off the bus. A phone and bag were stolen during the assault.”
The pair suffered several facial injuries which were treated at a hospital.
The London police have taken four men between the age of 15 and 18 under custody while a search operation is active for other suspects.
One of the victims, Melania Geymonat, 28, revealed that the attackers began harassing them upon learning that she and her girlfriend Chris were a couple.
“They surrounded us and started saying really aggressive stuff, things about sexual positions, lesbians and claiming we could kiss so they could watch us,” she said. “To ease the situation I tried to make some jokes, like Chris wasn’t understanding because she didn’t speak English. She even acted as if she was sick… but they started throwing coins. The next thing I know Chris is in the middle of the bus and they are punching her.”
“So I immediately went there by impulse and tried to pull her out of there and they started punching me. I was really bleeding,” she added.
“This was a disgusting attack on two women who appear to have been picked out and targeted by a group of youths,” Detective Superintendent Andy Cox said in a statement.
“The suspects have made a number of homophobic comments towards the couple before throwing coins at them,” he added in a statement. “When the women tried to reason with the group, the attack escalated to an assault,” he added.
PNN/Agencies