Two Men Viciously Gay Bashed In Perth

A night out turned into a nightmare for two gay men, who were viciously assaulted by two unidentified men and left bleeding, in a horrific gay bashing attack in Perth in the early hours of Sunday, April 9, 2023. 

Trigger Warning: This story has details and visuals of a homophobic attack, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.

The news of the attack on Perth-based Adrian Lea and Meredith DC was posted by one of their friends on Facebook. 

“(Adrian and Meredith) were cowardly attacked whilst walking through Northbridge,” the post said. “My friends are amongst the most beautiful people I have ever met and bring light and happiness to everyone they meet. The POSs who attacked them could only be low-life, insecure scumbags who are filled with hate. I hope CCTV has caught them and inevitably they are charged.”

In a statement provided to Star Observer, Western Australia police said it “became aware of an altercation involving several males near William Street and James Street.”

The police said that it was “conducting further inquiries into the altercation and are seeking to identify who else may have been involved” and asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers.

‘I Was Just In A Daze’

Two men have been violently assaulted in Northbridge in what they claim was a homophobic hate attack. @MiaEgerton #9News pic.twitter.com/8MPpoxTYT3

— 9News Perth (@9NewsPerth) April 9, 2023

Adrian (37) told 9 News Perth that he and Meredith were walking from the gay nightclub The Court Hotel to queer club Connections Nightclub, which is located just 400 metres away. 

The two were outside the Perth Cultural Centre on James Street Mall in Northbridge, when a stranger came up to them and started a conversation. 

“I don’t remember what the conversation was about. He asked me if I was gay and then literally just called his friend and boom. Both of them jumped on me and started hitting me in the face.”

The two men also rained blows on Adrian’s friend. Adrian fell to the ground during the attack. “As I got up, literally my nose was running… It completely blindsided me. I was just in a daze and I was like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ They were yelling out to ‘kick him in the head.’”

The attack stopped only after passersby intervened. The two men fled before the police arrived. Adrian was left bleeding with a fractured nose. 

LGBTQI Community To Protest Attack

WA-based LGBTQI charity Beyond A Hug said that community members will come together on Sunday, April 16, 2023, to protest the homophobic hate crime. 

“We need to come together as a community to send a message of safety and inclusion. Our community is one of love, tolerance, and acceptance. We need to show that the passage between the Court and Connection needs to be safe for our community,” the organisation said in a post on Facebook. 

The “show of strength” will see community members organise a community “line” hand-in-hand between The Court (Beaufort Street) and Connections (James Street) – the site of the attack on Adrian and Meredith. 

“Acts and displays of violence and hate towards our community will not be accepted,” the organisation added. 

In November 2021, 26-year-old Tyler Dean Borinelli was sentenced to six and a half years imprisonment for his role in two separate incidents of bashing and robbing of gay men in Perth. One of the victims was Michael Buhle (57), who was lured through the gay dating app Scruff to an isolated construction site in Gosnells, where he was set upon by Borinelli and his associate. Buhle, who viciously attacked with a baseball bat, suffered a fractured skull and broken jaw.

If you feel distressed reading the story, you can reach out to support services.

For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14

For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.