The young man faces up to two years in prison for lying about the vicious assault in a neighbourhood in Madrid
Police and officials from the Hate Crimes Group spent hours poring over CCTV footage from the surrounding neighbourhood and questioning local business owners, but could not find a trace of the assailants, who allegedly attacked the victim outside his home in broad daylight. In addition, investigators checked the victim’s phone and social media accounts and discovered that he had made arrangements for a sexual encounter on the day of the supposed attack.
Following repeated questioning from police and suggestions that his original story didn’t add up, the young man eventually confessed that his cut lip and the word ‘maricón’ etched into his buttock were both carried out with his consent, and that he had fabricated the story about being set upon by a gang of hooded and masked men in a homophobic attack. When the man’s boyfriend saw his wounds, he made up the story of the attack rather than admitting that he had been unfaithful.
The young man now faces charges for falsely reporting a crime and could face up to two years in prison if convicted. Regardless of the outcome, the Interior Minister has insisted that hate crimes are still on the increase and the ‘anecdotal fact’ that this complaint turned out to be false does not negate the important reality that homophobic attacks are a serious issue that need to be tackled.
Image: Archive
Source: Murcia Today
