A man told his 16-year-old victim “I am going to choke you out if you are gay” before beating and strangling him in an unprovoked homophobic attack.
Marc Bevan, 39, of Kirkfield Grove, Rock Ferry, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Gerald Baxter, prosecuting, detailed that in November 2021, a 16-year-old boy and his friends were on Southport Pier when one of them made a joke which was overheard by the defendant who was sitting nearby on a bench.
Bevan stood up and said to the teenagers “what did you just say to me”, and called the victim a “f****t”. The victim told him the joke was not about him, and that slur was not an acceptable word to use, but Bevan responded aggressively.
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The teenagers tried to flee but the defendant chased them, causing the 16-year-old to drop his bike as he was trying to escape, before he said to Bevan “are you really going to punch me?” Bevan then began punching the victim repeatedly, and he then placed his hands around the teenager’s neck and began to choke him, before he fell to the floor and Bevan kicked him repeatedly to the legs and head.
The victim’s friend witnessed the assault and said she heard Bevan say “I am going to choke you out if you are gay”, and described the victim as “struggling to breathe”. A victim personal statement written by the 16-year-old read: “After the attack, I came home shocked that anyone would want to put someone through what I had just been through.
“It left me feeling scared to go out and I did not go out for quite some time.” The victim said he suffers anxiety and panic attacks, and that waiting for a trial before Bevan eventually pleaded guilty on the day added more stress to the ordeal.
He continued: “The injuries I had were painful, but the memory of him attacking me hurt even more. I could not breathe with his hands around my neck and I thought I would pass out or worse.”
Bevan has 20 previous convictions, including for arson when he was aged 23, for which he was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment. He also has convictions for threatening behaviour, burglary, theft, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage, failure to surrender, damaging property, and possessing a bladed article.
Helen Chenery, defending, highlighted that those offences took place when he was a much younger man, and since leaving prison, he has remained out of trouble for a decade. She added that her client greatly regrets his actions, and emphasised that Bevan disputes having any prejudice towards anyone, but he does accept that his actions did demonstrate hostility.
Ms Chenery told the court that since his release from prison, Bevan has successfully gained employment and is highly regarded in his field, and the probation service described him as having made “outstanding progress”. She said: “He accepts that he could have entered pleas at an earlier stage and through me, apologises to the victim for any further stress caused. He accepts that he has buried his head in the sand.”
In sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver KC said: “Your victim was a young person of 16, having a peaceful night with his friends, and he did nothing to provoke you but you launched an attack upon him in which you punched him several times including to the face.
“You then started to choke him for a significant time until his face was changing colour and he could not speak. You then let him go and as he slumped to the floor, you kicked him, including to the head, it is a surprise he was not hurt more.”
Judge Driver added: “During the incident, you demonstrated hostility towards the young person based on his presumed orientation, it was clearly a homophobic attack.” Bevan was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and told his family he was sorry as he was taken to the cells.
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