A man who was assaulted in London's Trafalgar Square as part of a homophobic hate crime has died, Pink Paper can report.
Ian Baynham, was walking through Trafalgar Square with a
30-year-old friend on Friday 25
September when a woman began shouting homophobic abuse at him.
Punched to the floor and kicked repeatedly outside South Africa House by a second female and a man, the 62-year-old victim was taken to a central London hospital with
serious head injuries, including brain damage.
Baynham died last night when doctors turned off his life support machine.
The 30-year-old man with the victim also received minor injuries as a result of the incident.
Detectives from Scotland Yard’s Homicide and Serious Crime Command are
investigating the murder and are trying to trace three young people, pictured.
Investigators said the three, all aged between 16 and 20, are suspected of
shouting verbal abuse at other people as well.
In July, Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson highlighted his concerns over how
the number of homophobic crimes in the capital was increasing.
He said the force’s response to such crimes was “light years” ahead of what it
was in the past with victims more willing to report offences.
Senior officers were told homophobic crimes have increased by almost 14 per
cent, an extra 39 offences, since April, and there has also been an increase
nationally.
There have been three other suspected homophobic murders in the capital over
the past year.