Killer gets life in prison for stabbing gay man at UK crusing spot
“You murdered [Jeff Akers] in a particularly savage way, stabbing him in the back with a carving knife with such force that it completely severed the eighth rib and punctured his right lung. The knife went into his back up to the hilt. The knife had an eight-inch blade. You did this simply because he was gay. I am satisfied that you took that knife and went into those public lavatories looking for someone you thought was gay to stab. You clearly have an unhealthy interest in knives and very clearly have a hatred of homosexuals. You will have to be regarded, therefore, as posing a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public, in particular gay men, in the future,”
Judge David Padget at the sentencing trial of Mark Malone who stabbed Jeff Akers at a public toilet known as a cruising spot for gay men. Malone is reported to have punched an autistic man earlier for making gestures which he misinterpreted as a gay come-on. Padget is to spend at least 30 years in prison. (BBC)
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