Fifth teenager arrested over homophobic attack on gay couple on London bus

A fifth teenager has been arrested in connection with a homophobic attack on a lesbian couple on a London bus.

Melania Geymonat, 28, and her girlfriend Chris were travelling on the top deck of a double-decker London night bus when they were subjected to the attack by a gang after refusing to kiss.

Miss Geymonat said in a Facebook post that the gang started harassing them during the journey from West Hampstead to Camden Town, north London in the early hours of May 30 when they realised they were a couple.

She said the youths asked them to kiss while making sexual gestures before throwing money at them and punching them, leaving them covered in blood.

Four teenagers aged between 15 and 18 were arrested on suspicion of robbery and aggravated GBH on Friday and Scotland Yard said a fifth, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested on suspicion of robbery and aggravated burglary on Saturday morning.

All five are being questioned in custody, the force said.

Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn both condemned the attack and the couple have received widespread support from people outraged by the attack on them.

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But they have also fallen victim to online abuse, with negative comments being left on social media.

One Twitter user suggested that the couple had brought the attack on themselves, while some Facebook comments on media coverage of the story suggested the same, with one user writing: “They caused the attack”.

Detective Superintendent Andy Cox said: "This was a disgusting attack on two women who appear to have been picked out and targeted by a group of youths.

"A number of active inquiries are in hand to trace other individuals suspected to have been involved in the incident.

"Lots of people will understandably be outraged by this attack. Our efforts to trace all the suspects involved and bring them in for questioning will be relentless.

"We continue to appeal for information from the public, particularly those who were present on the bus before or after the attack, to come forward and tell police what they saw."