Gay man sprayed, blinded by chemical in anti-gay attack

Police believe three men were attacked outside a popular night club in South London in an anti-gay hate crime attack on June 8.

The men were outside Lightbox nightclub after being denied admittance into the nightclub because the club was closing for the night.

That’s when the trio started conversation with a pair of women who allegedly began screaming anti-gay abuse after finding out the men were gay.

Then men began to walk away when they heard a man shouting for them, the blinded victim told the London Evening Standard.

“At first I thought it was the doorman saying he’d changed his mind and we could go in,” he said. “Then I saw this white guy with a beard, and his hand coming up with a water bottle that he squirted really hard into my face. It went right in my eyes and it sprayed into my friend’s mouth.”

All three victims are reported to have been doused in the chemical substance described as concentrated ammonia, bleach and acid.

“My face was burning so much, I thought it was acid. I thought I would never see again and my face was melting,” the blinded victim said. “He poured every last drop onto us and then turned around and walked away, like it was mission accomplished.”

That victim was reportedly sprayed in the cornea of his left eye, where his vision hasn’t returned yet.

“The doctors said it should hopefully return but there is no guarantee,”  he told the London Evening Standard.

One of the other victims said the chemical got into his mouth and swelled up his tongue, making it look like someone had scratched part of it away.

“I feel this was a hate crime given where we were and the situation with the two girls,” the blinded victim said. “What’s playing on my mind is the fact that this guy has left his flat [home] and thought ‘wallet, keys, bottle of bleach.’ The guy has gone out with the intention of blinding someone.”