UK Man Pleads Guilty of Spraying Chemicals at Gay Men, Others

A man from the United Kingdom faces jail time after pleading guilty to spraying harmful chemicals at six people in June, nearly blinding a gay man, the Mirror reports.

Jonathan Lynn, 31, sprayed six people with a noxious substance in an anti-gay attack, including two men outside a gay club in Vauxhall, South London.

One of the victims, now identified as Parish Frith, spoke with two women whom he said started to yell anti-gay slurs at him and his friend. When Lynn approached the group, he said he was with the two other women before telling Frith to "go away we don't like gays."

Frith spoke back and said if he were straight, he could be with anyone woman he wanted, the Inner London Crown Court heard. This apparently upset Lynn who then sprayed the chemicals in his face.

Frith suffered burns on his face and ulcers in his eyes. He said the chemicals made his face feel as though it were melting and he thought he was going to die.

Lynn also sprayed three others with the chemicals, including two of Frith's friends and a bystander. In another incident, a man was sprayed with the chemicals when he was waiting in line to get into a club and accidentally stood on Lynn's foot. Lynn had been carrying the substances in an Evian water bottle.

Lynn was arrested two days later and pleaded guilty to four counts of actual bodily harm, two counts of common assault and possession of a weapon for discharge of a noxious liquid.

"The concern is that the gay community is vulnerable, it's fair to say that such a serious and premeditated attack will no doubt have a detrimental effect on the community and impact the attraction to the area," prosecutor James Keely said.

Lynn will be sentenced on Thursday.