Man hit by thug with umbrella in ‘homophobic attack’

'This was clearly a hate crime targeted towards us because we're queer.'

Linus Karp had been walking in Soho with his partner, Joseph Martin, around 8pm last night when Linus felt a sudden blow to his head.

The pair, who are both actors, had just finished some drinks with friends nearby and were heading to collect props for one of their theatre shows when a man came up behind them and attacked Linus with the wooden handle of an umbrella.

The couple said they believe Linus was attacked in a homophobic incident. The Metropolitan Police said they are looking into the details of the case.

While they have regularly spent time in Soho due to their jobs as actors, it is the first time they have been victims of a crime.

‘I didn’t quite know what was happening – we saw this man run off with an umbrella. The umbrella handle had hit me from behind and the handle flew into the road,’ Linus told Metro.co.uk.

Joseph had put up his hand to stop the hit, after noticing the man raising up something in his peripheral vision.

Joseph told Metro.co.uk: ‘He was holding it behind his head the way that you would swing a baseball bat. It was a full-strength blow. You only do that if you are intending to seriously injure someone.’

Linus said the man began yelling at Joseph after the first hit, saying ‘you saved his life, otherwise it would have killed him’, before walking away.

‘Supportive’ people sitting outside of a nearby restaurant ran up to help Linus as Joseph chased after the assailant.

As the man walked away from Old Compton Street, Joseph said he saw him spit in the face of another passerby.

Joseph told Metro.co.uk: ‘At that point, I gave chase and he started to run around the corner onto another street, and I tackled him to the ground and waited for police to come. He was placed into cuffs by police, we went to the police station for statements and then took Linus to A&E to get him checked out.’ 

Linus, who is an actor and is currently starring in Gwyneth Goes Skiing with Joseph in north London, has been left with bruising and swelling on his temple in the unprovoked attack.

The show chronicles a ski accident involving actress and businesswoman Gwyneth Paltrow and the subsequent court case last March, where a jury ruled she was not at fault in the collision.

Linus will recover from his injuries – but he has no doubt in his mind that the violence he suffered from was motivated by hate.

‘We’re visibly queer people,’ Joseph said. ‘Linus was wearing a pink shirt and shorts, walking down the street in Soho.

‘And to hear this man, while I’m detaining him waiting for police, calling us rapists and paedophiles – there’s no doubt in my mind he was motivated by homophobia.

‘We’re lucky that it wasn’t more severe, considering some of the attacks we’ve seen on members of the queer and trans community over the last few years.’

Linus added: ‘There are people making it their sole identity to hate on trans people as much as they can, which is scary and we see how that spreads to anyone who dares to express themselves outside of their gender roles.’

The couple are waiting to hear the latest updates from the Met Police but said there were multiple witnesses and CCTV cameras nearby, so remain hopeful for an arrest.

‘This is one of those things you read about or you hear about. But when it happens to you, it’s just different because you never think that that’s going to happen,’ Linus said.

‘I’m just very lucky it wasn’t worse. As for the rise in homophobic attacks in the last few years – words do have consequences. 

‘All of these politicians who are spouting out these hateful, inflammatory views are spurring up support that has a real-life impact to people.’

According to the Office for National Statistics, hate crimes based on sexual orientation have risen by 112% in the last five years.

That’s the ‘deadliest’ rise in violence against queer people in a decade, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.

Linus added: ‘This was clearly a hate crime targeted towards us because we’re queer. He then shouted that he would have killed me otherwise. These attacks should not go unpunished.’

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