Girl guilty of killing gay civil servant in vicious attack

'Mindless violence': attacker Ruby Thomas
12 April 2012

A former private schoolgirl was today convicted of killing a defenceless man in a vicious homophobic attack.

Ruby Thomas, then aged 17, lashed out in front of horrified tourists in Trafalgar Square in an attack likened to a scene from the ultra-violent film A Clockwork Orange.

After a male friend punched victim Ian Baynham to the ground she stamped and kicked him as he lay dying on the pavement. Thomas, now 18, who attended Sydenham High School for girls until May 2007, and Rachael Burke, also 18, had started the fatal attack by shouting "f*****g faggots" at openly gay Mr Baynham and his friend Philip Brown.

Home Office civil servant Mr Baynham, 62, was then felled by a single punch thrown by Joel Alexander, now 19, and struck his head on the pavement. He was then repeatedly punched in the face.

Thomas later posted "ha, ha, ha" in a Facebook message to a friend asking about the death of Mr Baynham.

Burke was cleared of manslaughter at a first trial earlier this year but convicted of affray. She alone was charged with assaulting Mr Brown and found not guilty. The jury was unable to agree a verdict on the manslaughter and affray charges against Thomas and Alexander.

But in a retrial which ended today a second jury found them guilty. All three defendants will be sentenced later by Judge Richard Hawkins.

Mr Baynham's sister Jenny said today: "My brother was an ordinary, honest, decent man...his only crime seems to have been to stand up for who he was."

George Richardson, a close friend, said the killing was "mindless violence generated by a total absence of tolerance and fuelled by alcohol". Mr Baynham died in the Royal London hospital 18 days after the attack outside South Africa House in September last year.

The court heard that after the homophobic slur Mr Baynham gave a light-hearted response and made to slap Thomas.

Alexander then struck him to the ground with a "running punch" and the two girls started kicking Mr Baynham with "full force". One of them climbed on top of his chest as the other delivered blows to his upper body and head, according to witnesses.

Thomas, of Crystal Palace, was described as "paralytic drunk" after swigging vodka and cranberry juice throughout the evening. The teeanger, who did not give evidence, admitted kicking Mr Baynham but claimed her blows played no part in his death.

Alexander, of Thornton Heath, said he had punched the victim because he was concerned Thomas would be seriously hurt by the older man. Burke, of Upper Norwood, denied hitting him at all.

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