Three teenagers admit threatening two women who refused to perform sex act

Three teenagers have pleaded guilty to threatening a gay couple on a bus after they refused to perform a sex act.

The boys – aged 15, 16 and 17 – appeared in court on Thursday after previously denying charges of harassment by using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.

Melania Geymonat, a 28-year-old from Uruguay, and her American girlfriend Christine Hannigan, were on the upper deck of a double-decker night bus in Camden, north London, when they were confronted by the teenagers in the early hours of 30 May.

Highbury Corner Youth Court heard the two women were surrounded by the boys, hit with coins, punched in the face several times, and subjected to sexual gestures on their way home.

Both women were taken to hospital following the attack, which lasted about nine minutes.

CCTV from the N31 bus has been played in court and showed the boys boarding the vehicle first, before the two women boarded a few stops later.

Prosecutor Saira Khan said: “It is undisputed that it is less than 10 seconds after going on the top of the bus they then are approached by three of the group of four.”

She added that the boys approached the women like the “tide washing in”.

Ms Geymonat appeared to be trying to diffuse the situation with the surrounding teenagers as she held Ms Hannigan, who was pretending to be sick.

After a few minutes, the footage showed the boys making gestures before the whole group moved around the bus and a fight broke out.

In the CCTV, the 15-year-old was seen making a sexual gesture to the women before Ms Hannigan then ran toward the boys, one of whom took her handbag.

Ms Khan said the teenagers saw the women as “some form of entertainment” which was why the 17-year-old was throwing coins at the pair.

Whether the incident was aggravated by the women’s’ sexual orientations will be decided at sentence.

A two-day trial was expected to begin on Thursday – but before proceedings began, the three teenagers admitted the public order offences.

The trio cannot be named because they are under 18 years old.

Charges against a fourth teenager, who is 17, were dropped on Thursday.

(c) Sky News 2019: Three teenagers admit threatening two women who refused to perform sex act