Kathryn Knott convicted of assault in Philadelphia gay bashing
But jury acquits Knott of most serious charges, meaning she might not serve jail time
The daughter of a Philadelphia-area police chief on Friday was convicted of simple assault in a violent attack lodged against a gay couple in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood last year.
Following three days of deliberation, a jury found Kathryn Knott guilty of simple assault, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit simple assault — all misdemeanors — but acquitted her on four counts of felony aggravated assault, meaning she will likely not serve jail time. While technically Knott could serve up to two years in prison for the misdemeanor charges, sentencing guidelines usually call for probation, Philadelphia TV station ABC6 reports. She will remain free on bail until her sentencing, which has been scheduled for Feb. 8, 2016.
Knott’s co-conspirators in the attack, Philip Williams and Kevin Harrigan, avoided jail time when they accepted a plea deal that required them to stay away from Center City — Williams for five years and Harrigan for three years — and to perform community service for an LGBT organization.
Williams, Harrigan and Knott were part of a group of young adults who confronted the gay couple after one of the men accidentally bumped into one of the girls in the group. The group then began yelling anti-gay epithets while Williams and Harrigan attacked the couple. Knott also injected herself into the fight. One of the victims was so severely hurt that he had to have his jaw wired shut for two months following the incident.
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