Laurence Dollimore
A YOUNG expat has been left emotionally scarred following a savage homophobic attack in Madrid.
Pablo Neira, 36, was leaving a bar on the famous Gran Via with his friends on a Saturday when a man across the road winked at him.
Speaking to Antena 3, Pablo, from Colombia, explained how when they got within centimetres of one another, the attacker pounced at him, shouting in Spanish: “You f*****g f****t, I’m going to kill you!”
Recalling the incident, Pablo said he remembered first being struck in the temple, which knocked him to the ground.
His attacker then began kicking him before sitting on top of him and biting his ear.
The suspect has been described by police as white, with light eyes, blonde hair, a beard and a strong build. He was wearing a blue sweater and jeans at the time of the attack.
Pablo said he is not a violent person and was in the foetal position waiting for the assault to stop.
His face was also punched and he temporarily lost his vision completely in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
He told Antena 3 that he now feels unsafe on the streets and ‘totally helpless’, and cannot understand why a person would hurt him for no reason.
The expat previously lived in Argentina for 13 years, where he said he was never subject to an attack.
Pablo reported the assault as a hate crime to the police the next day however they have yet to track the assailant down.
If found guilty, he faces around five years in prison, according to criminal lawyer Beatriz de Vicente, speaking to Antena 3.
