Glass thug ‘lashed out in anger at gay taunt’

An Ashford man smashed a glass into the face of a nightclubber who had been taunting him about being gay.

Dylan James was angry after booze was poured over him by Shane Else who had also subjected him to homophobic comments.

But the 24-year-old – who was high on ketamine at the time – escaped going straight to prison after the victim admitted he may have used the word “faggot”.

Judge Rupert Lowe told Mr Else, who was sitting in the public gallery: “You should be thoroughly ashamed of your behaviour that night as well.”

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the two men were in Cameo’s Nightclub in Ashford in June 2015.

The incident was caught on CCTV and played to the judge which showed Mr Else pouring a drink over James – who then retaliated by pushing a glass in his face causing cuts around his eyes.

James, of Miller’s Cottage, Ashford, admitted a charge of unlawful wounding on the morning he was expected to stand trial on a more serious charge of wounding with intent, which was accepted by the Crown Prosecution Service.

Prosecutor Suzanne Crane said the victim had been drunk at the time and “accepts he may have used homophobic words”.

But Judge Lowe told James that although it was humiliating to have a drink poured over him he over-reacted.

“You are a man who sometimes gets violent when crossed and that’s something you are going to have to learn to curb very quickly.

“You glassed a man in a club which is just the sort of vicious violence which causes untold misery to ordinary club goers.”

The judge added that James had been minding his own business dancing with a group of women when Mr Else intervened.

“He started calling you ‘a faggot’ and using other homophobic abuse and then threw a drink in your face, thus he was provoking you.

“But your reaction was out of all proportion and you thrust your glass into his left eye.

“I do not find there was any element of selfdefence. “What you did was in retaliation.” He gave jobless James a 15 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered him to pay £250 costs.

The judge told him: “You could have had Mr Else’s eye out and his injuries could have been much worse than they were.”

‘You are a man who sometimes gets violent when crossed and that’s something you are going to have to learn to curb very quickly’

Picture: Gary Browne FM3645813 The attack took place in Cameo nightclub