GenQ - For the not so straight individual

Ana Matronic has spoken out against the "lenient" sentence given to a gang who carried out a homophobic attack on two British friends.

Nina Meffen and Carol Cashmore were attacked by two teenage girls and a man in Southampton in July last year, leaving Meffen requiring reconstructive surgery.

Although the two 18 year olds pleaded guilty to the charge of affray, all three attackers escaped a prison sentence.

Both 18-year-old girls, who cannot be named under section 39 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1989, pleaded guilty to a charge of affray and one was sentenced to a 150-hour community service order, a three-month curfew and ordered to pay £100 costs.

The second girl, who also admitted causing criminal damage, was given 250 hours of community service, a six-month curfew and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Thomas Young, 20, of Hammonds Lane, Southampton, admitted a serious public order offence and was given a 12-month community order, a three-month curfew and ordered to pay £100 costs.

Ana Matronic met Cashmore at Glastonbury Festival in 2004 and the two have remained in regular contact since then.

Speaking to the Southern Daily Echo newspaper, Matronic condemned the attack saying: "I am really horrified and disgusted that, in particular, the one person who instigated this attack did not get sent to jail."

She added: "She seems like a true menace and someone who is quite capable of doing this type of thing again."

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