Young mum beaten ‘black and blue’ with crowbar and called vile homophobic, transphobic slurs
Lauren Garrison says she was beaten with a crowbar and called homophobic slurs by a gang outside the Three Fishes pub in Worthing on 17 May 2021. (Facebook/Lauren Garrison)
A young mother was beaten with a crowbar and called homophobic and transphobic slurs in a vicious attack outside a pub after a night out with her friends.
Lauren Garrison, 28, told The Argus she was scared she would be killed after she was beaten “black and blue” by a gang outside the Three Fishes pub in Worthing on Monday (17 May). Before the attack, she said she was having dinner with a group of friends, and the group decided to stop at the Worthing pub after the meal.
But Garrison, who is attracted to both men and women, said she now regrets the decision and is in “shock” after the attack. She said the group called her a “dirty dyke” and a “tranny” and was beaten with a crowbar, which left her unconscious.
She said she feared she was going to be killed by the group which she said consisted of 10 boys and three girls. Garrison claimed the group shouted slurs at her and said that trans people “should be shot”.
“They were being verbally abusive to me and making homophobic comments,” Garrison said. “They called me a tranny and said, ‘Oh look there is another dirty dyke’. They then said they should be shot.”
She said she was “knocked out” after she left the pub. Garrison said she was “hit twice” with a “crowbar and Hooch bottle”. She added that she “vaguely” remembered pushing herself “up against the window of the Three Fishes and struggling into the pub”.
She told The Argus that she was left with a concussion after the attack. Garrison also said she was scared that she might have permanent damage to her eye after she burst a blood vessel.
She said the attack has “really affected her”, and she’s now “always questioning” herself about what will happen if she sees her attackers again.
“I used to love to just [go] to the pub for a drink or getting some food with my little boy after he finished nursery, but it has completely thrown me now,” Garrison said. “I am now always questioning myself ‘What if I see them again?'”
A spokesman for the Sussex Police told The Argus that they are investigating the incident, adding the suspects are “understood to have made homophobic comments to the victim during the assault”. The spokesman added: “Enquiries are underway to trace those responsible, and officers are keen to speak with anyone who may be able to assist with the investigation.
“Anyone with information or who witnessed what happened is urged to report it online or call 101, quoting 1593 of 17/05.”
