Video: Man guilty of homophobic murder and assault on gay couple
A man has been found guilty of murdering one man and attempting to murder his partner in a homophobic attack.
David Kilcullen, 46, had pleaded not guilty to the attack in March in south London.
He was accused of the fatal stabbing of Gerry Edwards, 59, and the attack on his partner, 56-year-old Chris Bevan.
Edwards suffered long-term health problems, while Bevan worked as a health care assistant. They had been together for 18 years and lived in a flat in Page Heath Villas, Bromley.
The Old Bailey heard that Kilcullen, an alcoholic, had gone to their house armed with a knife on the night in March, not expecting Bevan to be at home.
The prosecution said he had referred to the pair’s sexual orientation in a crass manner, which indicated he disagreed with it.
The court heard that Kilcullen had visited the home to steal and subjected the couple to homophobic abuse when he realised Bevan was at home.
It was claimed that he then began stabbing Edwards and turned on Bevan when he tried to intervene. Bevan survived the attack “by chance” and spent months in hospital recovering from his injuries.
Along with losing his partner, Bevan was forced to endure Kilcullen falsely claiming in court that the couple had sexually assaulted him.
In a victim impact statement read our to court, Bevan said: “This mindless act of violence has robbed Gerry and me both of out lives.
“He did not deserve to lose his life in such an evil and shocking way, nor did I deserve to have my life affected in such an enormous way.”
Kilcullen, also of Bromley, is expected to be sentenced tomorrow.
