Two men in Perth, Australia have been found guilty of murdering gay man Warren Batchelor in a vigilante attack
Two men in Perth, Australia have been found guilty of murdering gay man Warren Batchelor (right) in a vigilante attack, reports ABC.
Daniel Wade Jones and Mark Taylor fatally bashed 48-year-old Batchelor at Middle Swan Reserve in November 2013. Mr Batchelor had been having a sexual encounter with another man in a public toilet when the attack took place.
Prosecutors described the murder as a vigilante attack designed to rid the area of gay men.
Both Jones and Taylor denied fatally injuring Batchelor who was king hit, punched and stomped while on the ground, then hit with a pole. He died two days later in hospital.
Taylor's lawyer said it was Jones who struck the victim with the pole and denied that his client injured the victim. He added that Taylor had done "stupid" things such as taking a knife to the toilet, but did not plan to kill anyone.
Jones' lawyer claimed his client did not injure the victim and was not in the toilet at all.
A statement issued by his family described Warren as "a kind, loving and caring man” who they miss every day.