British police have charged four teenage boys over an alleged homophobic attack on a lesbian couple on a London night bus. The gang of teens beat up the women after they refused to kiss for them. (Pic- Social Media)
Four teenage boys have been charged with "an aggravated hate crime" for the assault and robbery of a lesbian couple on a London night bus, British police said on Thursday.
Melania Geymonat, 28, has said she and her girlfriend Chris were victims of a homophobic attack when the gang taunted them and told them to kiss before they were robbed and punched during the May 30 incident.
'Behaving like hooligans'
"They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us 'lesbians' and describing sexual positions," Geymonat wrote on Facebook at the time.
"They kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it. The next thing I know is that Chris is in the middle of the bus fighting with them. On an impulse, I went over there only to find her face bleeding and three of them beating her up. The next thing I know is I'm being punched."
Both women were taken to hospital for treatment of facial injuries.
Some of the group, aged between 15 and 17, were also charged with theft, handling stolen goods and possession of cannabis, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The incident drew widespread condemnation, including from Britain's then Prime Minister Theresa May, who called it "sickening."