This is the shocking moment three teenage boys launch an attack on a kissing same-sex couple on a London bus.
CCTV footage shown in court on Thursday captures the teens "surrounding" Melina Ramirez and Christine Hannigan and pelting them with coins, while they were travelling back from a date on the N31 bus.
Highbury Youth Court was played the nine-minute film, which saw the boys, aged 17, 16, and 15, allegedly demand that the lesbian couple perform a sexual act.
The CCTV begins with one of the boys clad in black jeans, a coat and a hat sat behind Ms Hannigan and Ms Ramirez on the top deck of the bus making sexual hand gestures and sticking two fingers up at them.
It then cuts to the same boy being joined by his hooded friend, as they both look at and allegedly abuse the couple.
Ms Ramirez then jumps from her seat to confront them at the back of the bus, but one of the youths runs after her and lurches as she collapses to the floor.
Ms Hannigan leaps to her partner's aid when a third teen, in a black hooded coat, appears and a violent scuffle ensues.
As the couple try to defend themselves huddled on the bus seats, the boy allegedly pelts them with coins.
All three teens then block the shaken-up couple from escaping, and one is shown fleeing down the stairs with Ms Hannigan's handbag.
The boys, none of whom have been identified because of their age, were due to face trial today, however they all pleaded guilty to public order offences. One also admitted stealing the handbag.
The 17 year-old faces a hearing tomorrow into whether hate crime charges could be brought.
District Judge Judge Williams told the court she does not consider the incident to be a “hate crime” but said the fact it was a same-sex couple appeared to be the trigger for the incident.
After viewing the CCTV clip, Judge Williams said: “This is two women out together for the evening, they were behaving in an overtly affectionate fashion towards each other.
“The group of young men at the back of the bus thought this was all an enormous joke and came down like the tide washing in.
“They clustered, crowded round them, like it was some sort of sideshow. They seemed to think it was some sort of joke and behaved inappropriately."
The 16-year-old youth, from Wandsworth, pleaded guilty to theft of Ms Hannigan’s handbag, handling stolen goods, and two public order offences of using threatening or abusive words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
The 15-year-old boy, from Kensington and Chelsea, admitted handling Ms Ramirez’s stolen bank card and two charges of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
They will be sentenced on December 19 and 23 respectively at Wimbledon youth court.
The 17-year-old boy, from Kensington and Chelsea, admitted one charge of using threatening, abusive, or insulting words of behaviour to cause harassment, alarm, or distress to Ms Hannigan. He will return to court on Friday over alleged homophobia.
