Cruel dad forced his teenage son to undress and whipped him mercilessly after finding out he was using Grindr
Sad schoolboy sitting alone in corridor at school
A father in a southern England town assailed his own 15-year-old son – humiliating him and whipping him with a television cable – all because he joined Grindr.
Courts in Plymouth heard how the father launched into a brutal display of dominance against his own child as he lashing he son 20 times while calling him gay and a “woman” for joining the queer dating app.
The man, who is in his 40s but cannot be named to protect the identity of his son, forced his son to strip to just his underwear, PlymouthLive reported, in a disturbing saga that came to an end when the son fled his family home and broke down at school.
Senior barristers commented that the son will likely not only suffer from physical scarring due to the attack, but long-lasting psychological trauma, too.
Father launches into rash of violence against his own child for having Grindr on his mobile phone.
Plymouth Crown Court heard how the father hurled a volley of homophobic and transphobic insults towards his own son. His legal counsel sought to argue that the attack was not driven by hostility towards his child’s sexuality.
But the judge told the defendant: “You asked him about photographs of lots of boys on his phone and shouted ‘You are gay’ and ‘you are a woman’.
“You shouted: ‘What’s that between your legs?’
“You hit him again and again, some 20 times, with the television cable. You caused him ‘loads of pain’, to use his words.
“I have no doubt that part of the reason you became angry is that you saw material which you thought indicated he was bisexual.”
‘The son will inevitably suffer some psychological consequences,’ says senior barrister.
Prosecutors said the father asked to borrow the son’s mobile phone, leading him to see Grindr and the photographs that prompted the deluge of violence. He cornered the teen who then left to see a friend that evening.
The morning after, the father, again, confronted his son, lobbing vile remarks before forcing him to take off his pyjamas. Shivering in just underwear and socks, the son was then struck by his father “multiple times across his body, particularly his arm, breaking the skin there”, the Crown Prosecution Service’s Francesca Whebell said.
“While he was beating his son, the defendant was continuing to ask questions,” she said, noting that the father’s attack appeared motivated his the teen “exploring his sexuality”.
The son only managed to escape, she said, after he asked for a glass of water. He instead grabbed his school uniform and fled the scene, changing his clothes before class.
The defendant pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm on 30 September last year.
Recorder Pilgerstorfer QC said: “On the basis of the photographs, he is likely to be left with some scarring on his arm and he will inevitably suffer some psychological consequences.”
