A man received severe punishment for wearing a rainbow watch strap during a h0mophobic att.@ck.

 

A man suffered a brain injury after being beaten up by a stranger in Wales for wearing a rainbow watch strap.

During his walk along a residential road in Barry, Kaspian Oaken, 39, was approached by a man wearing a grey hooded tracksuit.

Kaspian was repeatedly punched by the man without any warning at around 6pm on February 1.

Kaspian's face doubled in size as a result of a brain bleed, skull fractures, damaged eye socket, and severe bruising.

Kaspian reported that he was assaulted while on his way to the shops on Court Road.

He expressed: 'It was a terrifying experience.' There was that adrenaline rush, and at the time, you didn't realize quite what had happened. I was taken by surprise."

Kaspian described the incident as 'terrifying'.

He added: "I was just walking minding my own business keeping my head down. He just comes up to me and starts hitting me in the face. After a few punches I just fell to the ground and he ran off.

"I managed to get up and then I was freaking out obviously because I was covered in blood.

"I carried on walking a little bit until my legs buckled and I just fell. I couldn’t move my legs for some reason. I just had to sit there.

"It’s a possibility [it was a hate crime] but it’s not like I was advertising it.

"I was dripping with blood but still thinking: 'I need to carry on what I’m doing'."

Kaspian is of the opinion that the LGBTQ+ Pride Apple Watch strap he was wearing may have played a role in his attack. Even though it was dark, he was still uncertain.

Apple stated that the rainbow strap was created to demonstrate the strength and inclusivity of the LGBTQ+ community.

Kaspian was taken home by two concerned strangers, but after collapsing, they contacted 999 and took him to A&E.

He said: "My right eye is very, very damaged… It’s a lot of bruising. A lot of bumps from where the skull has been impacted. [My face is] double its usual size.

"If the injuries were worse it could’ve been life-threatening. It was very close to being more brain-damaged because of the brain bleed.

"They kept having to test my memory and things like that just to make sure it wasn’t affecting my actual cognitive function. The damage to the brain is very serious obviously."

Kaspian asserts that his scars are both mental and physical, adding that he reacts with flinching every time he sees someone in a grey tracksuit.

"It’s not just scary for me. It’s thinking, 'if they could do it to me and get away with it, then there are other people out there who could be victims in the future'," he said.

The police said in a statement: "We are investigating an assault on a 39-year-old man which occurred on February 1.

"The assault happened as the victim walked along Court Road at around 6pm. He suffered serious facial and head injuries which required hospital treatment.

"The person responsible has been described as being a 6ft 1in, white male who was wearing a full grey tracksuit, with a hood."