"Noxious" Fluid Attacker Jailed For Dousing Clubbers

"Tough Guy": Jonathan Lynn

A drunken thug, who splashed a mystery noxious fluid over six strangers during an early hours attack outside a gay nightclub - leaving some of the victims, including a male model, fearing they were blinded and disfigured for life -  was jailed for two years and four months yesterday.

Roofer Jonathan William Lynn, 31, of Dorking Close, Worcester Park emptied the contents of an Evian bottle over a group of young gay friends, who thought their faces were "burning and melting", just after 4am in Vauxhall.

However, Recorder David Etherington QC ruled it was not a hate-crime, but told Lynn: "This takes nothing away from the fact this is a vicious, vile, cowardly and disgraceful attack by you."

He pleaded guilty at Inner London Crown Court to assaulting the four, causing three of them actual bodily harm, outside the Lightbox nightclub on June 7 and possessing an offensive weapon, namely a noxious fluid.

He also admitted assaulting a woman passer-by, twenty-something Melissa Thompson, who was also splashed in the eyes and twenty minutes later, Ashgar Jafi, also in his 20's, who was sprayed with the liquid after the defendant stepped on his foot as he waited in the nightclub queue.

On CCTV: Jonathan Lynn

"You wrecked a number of people's lives," Recorder Etherington told heavily-built shaven-headed Lynn. "You decided to go out armed with a plastic bottle containing an unpleasant and potentially dangerous liquid.

"I think you took it out in case anyone got in your face…….You look quite a touch guy so anyone meeting you in the street and not knowing what you are going to do, then reaching for a bottle and throwing something in their face is going to scar someone mentally for life."

Model Parish Frith, 23, was involved in a verbal exchange with Lynn at 4.27am after the victim approached two girls outside the club and was challenged by the defendant, who said: "This is my bird."

They were, in fact, strangers, who did not know Lynn and Mr. Frith says one girl told him: "We don't really get on with gays. F*** off."

Both young women deny saying anything homophobic and explained to police Lynn said: "I don't care," when Mr. Frith, who they described as: "cocky and displaying an attitude", revealed his sexuality. 

He was splashed with the contents of the bottle along with his friends, Benjamin Moore, 21, and pals Yousef Khan and Ryan Cleary, also aged in their early twenties.

Prosecutor Mr. James Keeley classed the offences as homophobic and explained: "The defendant called Mr. Frith back and as he approached he was at arm's length distance when the defendant produced a bottle and splashed the contents in Mr. Frith's face, which went into his eyes, nose, mouth and throat," explained Mr. Keeley.

Ladies Man: Jonathan Lynn

"He said it tasted disgusting, he was inhaling fumes, couldn't breath and felt his face was burning and melting. He did not know if he was going to die or end up with no face."

Mr. Frith suffered painful ulcers to his tongue and to the back of his throat and a month later had no sense of taste and difficulty eating and continues to take anti-depressants to deal with his loss of self-worth.

His friend Mr. Moore also suffered injuries. "The liquid hit Mr. Moore full in the face, it went into his eyes, he panicked, his eyes were streaming and his face felt like it was on fire.

"He describes it as the worst moment of his life," said Mr. Keeley, adding the young man was left with an ulcer in the cornea of his left eye and continues to receive treatment at Moorfields Eye Hospital for blurred vision and burns in his cornea.

"The liquid went into Mr. Khan's face and eyes. It was burning the right side of his face. Mr. Khan believes this was a homophobic attack on him and his friends."

The asthmatic victim did not seek medical treatment as he tried unsuccessfully to keep his sexuality a secret from his family, who he now feels have "disowned him."

The fourth friend was the subject of the less serious charge of common assault. "A small amount of fluid hit Mr. Cleary's eye. It stung Mr. Cleary's eye.

"The defendant is described as vicious in his actions in that he wanted to hurt both men and then walked away with no remorse."

Passer-by Miss Thompson was leaving the club at the time. "She felt a splash in her right eye and felt pain in the back of her left eye. She was panicking and thought she was going blind."

Mr. Jafi had a verbal exchange with Lynn after the defendant stepped on his foot twenty minutes later. "The defendant sprayed him in the face with the contents of what looked like a Sprite bottle."

Ex-jailbird Lynn, who has served time for robbery and was on licence from prison at the time after receiving seven years in December, 2009 for possessing 1.5 kilos of cocaine and £30,000 in criminal property, was arrested in a pub four days later.

"The act was completely unjustified and unwarranted," Recorder Etherington told Lynn. "It was an unlawful and cowardly act. If this was homophobic the sentence would be doubled.

"You were spoiling for trouble that night with any people that crossed your path in any way you did not like. I've looked at the pictures, I've seen the skin taken off Mr. Frith's tongue.

"He was a model at the time and he didn't know if he was going to end up dead or with no face and he has lost his job."

Remarkably Lynn did not flee the scene, but joined the nightclub queue, where he splashed Mr. Jafi with the fluid. "This is really outrageous in view of what you had already done and you saw the consequences of it."

Lynn's lawyer Mr. Piers Mostyn told the court: "He had previously been a victim of an attack in the area and took it with him for self-defence, a friend having left it at his address. He did not go out intending to use it.

"The defendant vehemently denies having any homophobic views and expressing those views. He was very drunk and remembers very little of what happened."

Mr. Frith told Evening Standard shortly after the attack: "As we walked away I heard a man shout: 'Oi! Come here.' At first I thought it was the doorman saying he'd changed his mind and we could go in.

"Then I saw this white guy with a beard and his hand coming up with a water bottle and he squirted really hard into my face. It went straight into my eyes and it sprayed into my friend's mouth.

"My face was burning so much, I thought it was acid. I thought I would never see again and my face was melting.

"He poured every last drop onto us and then turned around and walked away, like it was mission accomplished.

"The chemical burnt the cornea in my left eye and the vision hasn't cleared since. The doctors said it should hopefully return, but there is no guarantee.

"My friend's tongue was swollen and it looked like someone had scratched part of it away. It was horrible."