LONDON: The London Metropolitan Police on Thursday charged four teenagers for a homophobic attack against two women who refused to kiss on a night bus.
All the four charged belong to the 15 to 17-year-old age bracket. One 16-year-old also faces additional charges for cannabis possession, according to CNN.
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They are slated to appear at the Highbury Corner Youth Court on August 21.
The attack took place during the early hours of May 30, when the two women, who are in their 20s, boarded the bus in West Hampstead.
"There were at least four of them. They started behaving like hooligans, demanding that we kissed so they could enjoy watching, calling us 'lesbians' and describing sexual positions," one of the victims, Melania PS claimed in a Facebook post after the incident.
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The six of them were the only ones in the bus, apart from the driver, Melania added.
"In an attempt to calm things down, I started making jokes. I thought this might make them go away. Chris (her partner) even pretended she was sick, but they kept on harassing us, throwing us coins and becoming more enthusiastic about it," she further said, recounting the horrific incident.
"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. I got dizzy at the sight of my blood and fell back. I don't remember whether or not I lost consciousness. Suddenly the bus had stopped, the police were there and I was bleeding all over. Our stuff was stolen as well," she stated.
The homophobic incident was widely condemned by the top brass of political leaders in the UK, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the then-Prime Minister Theresa May.