Two young men from Newham in East London have been charged in connection with a homophobic hate crime which took place last year.
Back in October 2017, a 19-year-old man was the victim of an attack on a Jubilee line train between West Ham and North Greenwich, where he was put in a headlock and forced to apologise for being gay.
The victim finally succumbed to the demand as he was struggling to breathe.
The offenders initially boarded the train at West Ham and began abusing the victim and his friends who were in fancy dress.
They used homophobic language against them before physically abusing the victim.
While the 19-year-old man was in a headlock, a second offender took his phone off him and threatened to stab him.
Once he was out of the headlock after apologising, a fight broke out between the victim’s friends and the offenders.
One of the victim’s friends – a 25-year-old woman – was punched and pushed to the ground, and was left with bruising.
Police have now charged two teenagers – aged 16 and 17 – in connection with the attack.
The 17-year-old has been charged with a public order offence, while the other young man faces charges of assault by beating.
The will both appear before Bexley Magistrates’ Court on 11 May.
“Hate crime will not be tolerated by British Transport Police. We believe that everyone has the right to travel safety,” a spokesperson for the British Transport Police previously stated.
“We won’t tolerate behaviour where someone is targeted because they are perceived to be different, or made to feel uncomfortable on their journey.”
Related: More than 1,000 schools to launch projects to stamp out homophobic bullying
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