Gay Youtube star charged over alleged fake hate crime attack

CALUM McSwiggan has been charged with filing a false police report just days after the popular gay YouTube identity spoke out about being beaten by three men.

McSwiggan, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, had detailed his account of allegedly being attacked in an Instagram post.

“Last night was the worst night of my life and I’m really struggling to find the words to talk about it,” McSwiggan wrote in the post.

The UK national, who was in Los Angeles for the annual VidCon event, claimed he was separated from his friends after attending a gay club, before being set upon by a group of men in the West Hollywood. 

“With three broken teeth and six stitches in my forehead, I’ve never felt so terrified to be a gay man in the public eye,” McSwiggan said.

The L.A. County’s Sherriff Department, who could not substantiate McSwiggan’s claims, arrested the YouTube identity for suspicion of vandalising a car.

McSwiggan was then charged with one count of vandalism with property damage greater than $400, according to jail records obtained by the Los Angeles Times. 

Sheriff officials have stated that the YouTube identity was observed injuring himself with the handle and receiver to a pay phone.

He didn’t appear to have visible injuries in the booking photo taken prior, according to the Los Angeles Times.

McSwiggan took to Facebook and detailed a more thorough timeline of events, claiming the self-inflicted injuries were an act to get out of the cell.

“I took the pay phone off the wall and hit myself once across the forehead with it as hard as I could,” McSwiggan said.

“I knew I had to injure myself to get out of the cell and into a hospital.”

He vigorously defended his claims and addressed the lack of visible injuries in his booking photo.

“Just because there were no visible marks on my face does not mean I was not attacked,” McSwiggan said.

McSwiggan could be sentenced to up to 364 days if convicted.