Man who sprayed bleach at Vauxhall gay bar punters gets two-and-half-year sentence

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A man has been jailed for spraying bleach at six people outside a gay bar in south London.

Jonathan Lynn, 29, left his victims with agonising chemical burns in a violent assault on 8 June outside the Lightbox club in Vauxhall.

One of the victims from the first attack said directly afterwards: “My face was burning so much, I thought it was acid.

“I thought I would never see again and my face was melting.

“He poured every last drop on to us and then turned around and walked away, like it was mission accomplished.

“The chemical burnt the cornea in my left eye and the vision hasn’t cleared since. The doctors said it should hopefully return but there is no guarantee.”

Some of the victims were left with ulcers in their eyes and mouths as well as “significant” psychological problems, Inner London Crown Court heard.

One of the victims did not seek medical treatment as he tried unsuccessfully to keep his sexuality a secret from his family, who he now feels have “disowned him”, the judge said.

Lynn threw bleach over model Parish Frith after the pair were involved in an argument outside Lightbox shortly before 5am.

The Mirror reports Lynn had been standing with two women he did not know and claimed to Mr Frith that one of them was his “bird”, the hearing was told.

After Mr Frith stated he was gay, the pair exchanged words when the victim claimed he “could have the women anyway”, which he later admitted was “arrogant”, Judge David Etherington said.

As Mr Frith walked away, Lynn called him back and splashed him with the contents of the bottle along with his three friends.
Lynn previously pleaded to causing the three men actual bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon, namely a noxious fluid.

Today, he was sentenced to two years and four months in jail.

ITV News reports Judge Etherington said: “I make this clear, this was a vile, violent, cowardly and disgraceful attack by you, but I do not find it was motivated by dislike or hate of people of homosexual orientation. You wrecked a number of people’s lives.”

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