Two young men aged 17 and 19 were taken into custody in Perpignan on Tuesday August 8. They are accused of ensnaring and assaulting a young gay man in the city center in February.
Homophobic attacks are unfortunately common, such as the one suffered by the former candidate of Married at first sight Jefferson shortly before saying “yes” to her husband Pedro. And some are real traps: according to a recent Mediapart documentary, every week, a gay man is the victim of a homophobic ambush in France. On February 3, 2022, a 22-year-old’s night turned into a nightmare. While he was thinking of going on a date with another man he met on a website, he found himself trapped. According to The Independent, the place of the meeting had been fixed in a lively district of Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales), and had therefore not worried the young man. After getting into the other man’s vehicle, the latter gave him a violent punch in the face. He was then joined by two accomplices.
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The young man will endure a martyrdom of twenty-five minutes, during which he was beaten and stabbed. Meanwhile, the one who had lured him into the trap has evaporated, leaving him in the clutches of the other two attackers. Under the threat, the victim had no choice but to withdraw 300 euros with his bank card then give them to his assailants. After hiding his mobile phone high up, the thieves fled with their loot. Hurt, the young man manages to get into his own vehicle and drive to the police station. Supported by firefighters and hospitalized, he was prescribed a three-day ITT and had to go to a hand clinic for treatment.
A third suspect must be found
More than a year after the attack, investigators were able to identify two suspects : a 17-year-old teenager, and a 19-year-old young adult. One of them is already known to the police for similar facts, but both suspects denied the charges while in police custody on Tuesday, August 8. Referred, they were placed under judicial supervision pending their trial, on September 16 before the criminal court of Perpignan for the oldest, and on September 22 before a juvenile court for the youngest. They will appear for extortion committed because of the sexual orientation of the victim, armed robbery and aggravated violence. For now, the third suspect has not been found.
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Passionate about writing, Floréane is interested in a wide variety of subjects. When she’s not writing about current events, the environment or gender issues, she takes refuge under a blanket…