Man guilty of Chester walls homophobic stabbing
A 19-year-old has been found guilty of stabbing a man in a suspected homophobic attack in Cheshire.
Floyd Evans, of Stanley Street, Chester, attacked the 35-year-old on Chester city walls on 21 October.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said he was attacked in a known meeting place for the gay community.
At Chester Crown Court, Evans was cleared of attempted murder but found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The CPS said the victim was on his way home and spotted a friend on the walls. As they were talking, Evans approached and started talking to the victim's friend.
He then lunged forward and stabbed the victim, before walking away.
'Harbouring sinister feelings'
Cheshire Police said the wound pierced his heart and cut an artery. A police officer kept pressure on the wound until paramedics arrived.
The victim was taken to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, where he required emergency surgery, the CPS said. He has since made a recovery.
Richard Riley, from the CPS, said: "This was a vicious attack on a man who had simply been chatting with a friend when he was targeted.
"We believe that Floyd Evans stabbed [the victim] because he thought he was gay and that Evans went to that part of the city walls that night for that very reason."
He added: "Evans is clearly a violent man, quite possibly harbouring sinister feelings towards certain sections of our community."
Evans is due to be sentenced in May.