A 21-year-old man who tried to murder his gay roommate with a claw hammer has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, the BBC reports.
According to a police report, 18-year-old Connor Huntley was found alive in his Margate, England apartment last May after his roommate, 21-year-old Joseph Williams, called police to report that his roommate had died.
Fortunately, his roommate was not dead.
When police arrived, they discovered that Williams had delivered one severe blow to Huntley’s head with a hammer while he slept, simply because Huntley was gay and Williams “did not know if he could live with him.”
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Charged with attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, Williams has been detained under the Mental Health Act since.
Though Huntley survived the attack, he was left with a severe brain injury and a depressed skull fracture. The extent of his injuries are not detailed, but Huntley’s family insists that he has been handed “his own life sentence” through the ordeal.
The BBC also reports that the men were “not the obvious flatmates,” because they had been paired together by their landlord. A neighbor told reporters that a week before the attack, Williams had informed him that he intended to harm Huntley.
Speaking after the verdict was delivered this week, Huntley’s family released the following statement:
Whilst Connor is making slow but steady progress from this horrific ordeal, we feel he has been handed his own life sentence by this hideous act. No one deserves to be so viciously attacked in such an evil manner, regardless of race, age, gender or sexuality.
Connor’s head injuries are detailed in the x-ray scan below:
Photos: Kent Police
Stache99
14 years in prison just doesn’t seem long enough. At least he wasn’t hear in the states and didn’t try the gay panic defense.
barkomatic
Horrible act. This psycho should have his check garnished for life with the money going to this guy (assuming he’ll be sane enough to work one day).
frubino
14 years in prison, the bastard time quickly runs away like water.
NiceNCool1
This crap is caused by the decades of haters (centuries really but no one alive can go back that far) who have put completely insane ideas about gay people into the minds of individuals with a percentage of them who will inevitably act out on those completely insane ideas. To you people I say, “Fuck You. YOU caused this!”
Black Swan
While he slept? What a coward! Fourteen years ISN’T long enough.
SteveDenver
It’s a shame that people who “can’t live” with something don’t realize they should direct their fury inward.
lykeitiz
That photo is painful to look at. Too often the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. I say give the perp one good bash to the head & see what happens.
Mikah
It’s time for homophobia to be classified as a mental illness.
Billy Budd
the horror.
Sebizzar
@Mikah: Agreed.
Chris
The guy who did this is lower than low. May his wife bobbitize him and then hit him on the head with a hammer.
blackberry finn
Stories like this make me want to jump out of a window. Where’s the justice? Ugh.
DarkZephyr
Religion is the main culprit. It’s time for us to start holding religions that have antigay teachings accountable.