Verdict in gay hate crime case - guilty - from Pink News - all the latest gay news from the gay community

Verdict in gay hate crime case - guilty

By Katherine Knowles • March 28, 2006 - 0:00

Verdict in gay hate crime case - guilty

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Verdict in gay hate crime case - guilty

A member of the Crips street gang has been convicted for a frenzied attack on a gay man

A Brooklyn Supreme Court jury found Steven Pomie, 25, guilty of assault and assault as a hate crime for the brutal June 2005 attack that left Dwan Prince, 28, paralysed.

A Brooklyn court has found Steven Pomie guilty of homophobic hate crime and assault, after an attack that left Dwan Prince paralysed.

Mr Prince, a former demolition worker and porter now needs to use a wheelchair and has had to give up hope of returning to his former career.

The assault had had an huge on going impact, Mr Prince, claimed. He has undergone painful reconstructive surgeries and physical therapy, said. "I swung sledgehammers to break indoor walls in Brooklyn. I used to run fast," Prince testified. "Now, I can barely walk. I can't run. I can't take pain medication because it makes me throw up. I can't sleep because my leg hurts and my shoulder hurts."

Mr Prince is paralysed on the left side of his body, and his extensive head injuries have left him with brain damage and constant uncontrollable shaking.

Pomie, a 22 year old with a criminal record, faces up to 25 years in prison.

Outside the courtroom, Mr Prince, clearly shaken by meeting his alleged attacker again said that he hoped Pomie would be put behind bars for the maximum time. "He should suffer what I suffer from," he explained. "What goes around comes around. I can't sleep at night, I'm in so much pain."

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