Girl accused of killing gay man ‘had attacked bus driver’
A teenage girl accused of killing a gay man in Trafalgar Square last year attacked a bus driver in the same area two years ago, a court heard today.
Ruby Thomas, 18, is accused of kicking and stamping on 62-year-old Ian Baynham in September this year. He died 18 days later from head injuries.
She denies manslaughter.
Today, the Old Bailey heard that Ms Thomas was involved in an attack on a bus driver in December 2007.
Aasim Shah was having his break on Northumberland Avenue when Ms Thomas passed by with a group of friends and allegedly spat at him.
When Mr Shah asked her to stop, prosecutor Timothy Cray said, Ms Thomas punched him in the back of the head and kicked him.
She pleaded guilty to common assault in January 2008.
Ms Thomas, of Lichfield, Staffs, is standing trial for Mr Baynham’s manslaughter alongside Joel Alexander, 19, Thornton Heath, south London, and Rachel Burke, 18, of Three Oaks, East Sussex.
All three deny manslaughter and Ms Burke denies another charge of committing actual bodily harm.
Earlier in the trial, a prosecutor compared the assault to violent scenes from the controversial film A Clockwork Orange.
Mr Baynham, an out gay man who lived in Beckenham, Kent, was allegedly subjected to homophobic abuse before he was attacked.
Witnesses said Ms Thomas shouted homophobic abuse at Mr Baynham and his friend, calling them “batty men” and “faggots”.
The trial continues.
