British authorities have charged four teenagers with aggravated assault as a hate crime after they brutally attacked a lesbian couple on a public bus in early May.
According to NBC News, police confirmed via a press statement that the four boys ranging from ages 15-17 were charged in connection with the attack on Melania Geymonat, 29, and her girlfriend, Chris, 28. While one of the teens was also charged with possession of marijuana, another faces additional charges for theft and handling stolen goods. They are all expected to appear in court on August 21.
As per the victims, the quartet verbally harassed the couple about their sexual orientation and demanded that they kiss. When they refused to do so, the four proceeded to assault them during the overnight bus riding from Camden in London. Geymonat needed surgery to reset bones in her nose and Chris required a hospital treatment to repair a fractured jaw. "We must have kissed or something because these guys came after us," Geymonat wrote in her viral Facebook post. "They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us 'lesbians' and describing sexual positions."
"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. "The suspects have made a number of homophobic comments towards the couple before throwing coins at them. When the women tried to reason with the group, the attack escalated to an assault."
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