The trial has begun in Paris of four men accused of a prolonged attack on a gay man in a public park. The 2006 incident left Bruno Wiel, now 33, unconscious at the scene.
The four men, who are all in their twenties, allegedly started a conversation with Wiel as he left a gay bar in Les Halles, a district in Paris. For some reason, Wiel got into their car and was driven to a park in Vitry-sur-Seine, where he was beaten, burned and forcibly sodomized with a stick. Wiel was left at the scene and discovered the following day.
The police appealed for witnesses and an anonymous call led to the arrests of the four men.
The trial, which is attracting national attention in France, could lead to life sentences for the attackers.
The group SOS Homophobie reported 88 cases of homophobic aggression in France during 2010. The group’s president, Bartholomé Girard, said that many victims do not want to endure a trial “because it is hard to confront their attackers.”
A verdict is expected at the end of the month.
