A HOMOPHOBIC thug who carried out an attack on a gay couple, one of them transgender, is due to be sentenced today with his accomplice already serving a long jail sentence.

Brandon Taylor of Worcester is due to be sentenced for the attack which left both victims in a hospital trauma unit. The 19-year-old will appear before Judge Nicolas Cartwright at Worcester Crown Court today and also faces sentence for other matters of violence.

Read about Worcester road rage attack

His co-defendant Asfandyar Kiani, 21, also of Worcester was jailed for nine years for his role in the attack when he appeared before the same judge back in March.

Read about why escape from a Worcester court is now next to impossible

We previously reported how Kiani of Ludstock Close showed no emotion when he was told he must serve at least two thirds of his nine year sentence behind bars.

The sentence came a day after a life sentence was handed out for the murder of a transgender woman at the same court - Martin Saberi was given a life sentence after he finally admitted to killing Amy Griffiths at her flat in the town in January 2019.

The couple was mocked for wearing black nail varnish, as the pair described them as 'a bit gay' and 'sick' as well as making sexually offensive comments involving 'lube', what the judge was later to call 'homophobic and anti-transgender comments'.

The couple had been on their way to Morrisons in Malvern when they were set upon, even telling their attackers they were 'pacifists' in a bid to quell the violence.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright, sentencing, said: "One of them ended up falling to his knees, pleading with you to stop. He was hit very hard in the face with what he thought was a knuckle duster."

Punches and kicks were thrown at both men which the judge said were delivered 'as hard as each of you could'. At one point, the most seriously injured of the two men had his face 'smacked on the ground' and when his partner came to assist and he was also kicked. The most seriously injured of the two victims also suffered a gash to his temple.

At the time of the attack in Malvern on September 20, 2019 Kiani was still under investigation for another group attack in Lowesmoor, Worcester in which another man was knocked unconscious.

Kiani returned to steal his wallet while he was out cold in Black Horse Walk on March 26, 2019.

Both of the Malvern victims are on the autistic spectrum and were knocked unconscious at various stages of the attack. Michael Aspinall said the gay man's jaw was broken in at least two places (his mother said three places) and had to be placed on a liquid diet for eight weeks and was forced to give up work and had hoped to embark on an internship at Mencap, a role the judge described as 'close to his heart'.

The transgender victim suffered a broken nose. The victim of the GBH is reported a worsening short term memory and, according to his mum, has become 'extremely withdrawn'.

The mother of the victim of the ABH said: "The attack has set him back massively to the point that he will not go out entirely and is virtually a prisoner in his house."