'Big Brother' Housemate Mark Byron In 'Disgusting' Homophobic Attack: 'It Was Appalling... People Stood By Doing Nothing'
'BB' Housemate Mark Byron In Horrific Homophobic Incident
Daniel Welsh— The Huffington Post UK
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‘Big Brother’ housemate Mark Byron has spoken out after being involved in a homophobic attack in his home city of Liverpool.
Mark has revealed the incident left his friend with a fractured skull when he stepped in to try and protect him, with passers-by doing nothing to try and prevent the attack, and even attempting to get selfies with the victim.
“Drinkers were standing by and laughing at the appalling scene before them.”
Mark was with a group of friends leaving Liverpool’s Black Rabbit Shot Company bar, when he was punched to the floor by an unknown man, who grabbed him by his hair and bombarded him with homophobic abuse.
His friend, Paul, then stepped in to protect Mark, winding up with a broken shoulder and a fractured skull.
“I am so proud of Liverpool and its acceptance of all cultures and ways of life. This really has saddened me that people who may have had no legal responsibility to step in and help, but certainly a moral one, turned a blind eye and even laughed while such a disgusting and ferocious attack took place.”
Police are now appealing for information about the attack, with the assailant believed to have made his escape in a black cab.
He is described as a white male, who was wearing blue shorts and a white top.
Speaking about the horrific incident, City Centre Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Hardy has urged: “We are aware that a number of taxis passed the vicinity of the assault and that one may have transported the offender from the scene.
“I would urge all of them to contact us to help us with our enquiries. Information they may have, no matter how small, may help us bring those responsible to justice.”
Those with information on the terrible attack have been urged to contact St Anne Street CID on 0151 777 4065 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
'Big Brother': Top 10 Channel 5 Housemates
Steven Goode (‘Big Brother: Power Trip’)(01 of10)
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It wasn’t always easy to side with Steven during his turbulent time in the ‘Big Brother’ house, but his determination to win from the offset and fast-flourishing relationship with Kimberly made him one to keep an eye on, if nothing else.We’ll remember him most fondly for his erratic behaviour when Kimberly (now his wife) was removed from the house… oh, and for whispering “open it” to her under the covers (we’re still praying she had a packet of Maltesers under the covers). (credit:Channel 5)
Sara McLean (‘Big Brother 2012’)(02 of10)
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An oft-overlooked housemate from the Channel 5 alum, Sara sticks in our heads mainly for the time she got drunk and performed a heartfelt and teary rendition of ‘God Save The Queen’, to publicly pledge her love for the Royal Family. (credit:Channel 5)
Harry Blake (‘Big Brother 2011’)(03 of10)
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One of the stand-out housemates of Channel 5’s first ever ‘BB’ series, prank-lover Harry’s finest hour came when he blew the housemates entire shopping budget entirely on bananas. Amazing. (credit:Channel 5)
Danielle McMahon (‘Big Brother: Power Trip’)(04 of10)
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Her traditional Christian values - which included being vehemently against gay marriage and abortion - made her a polarising figure in last year’s ‘Big Brother’, but there’s no denying that Danielle was a vital ingredient to making ‘Power Trip’ such an exciting series.Danielle’s rows with eventual-winner Helen Wood made for must-see viewing, with the two often ending up in shouting matches with each other over the smallest things, while her Diary Room rants frequently made for ‘BB’ comedy gold… even if that’s not quite how Danielle intended things to be. (credit:Channel 5)
Scott Mason (‘Big Brother 2012’)(05 of10)
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Scott was a perfect example of a young person going on 'Big Brother' not to look for fame but just to get to know people he wouldn't have had the chance to in any other circumstances.We particularly enjoyed his crush on Arron, which - unfortunately for Scott - was all rather one-sided... (credit:Channel 5)
Lydia Louisa (‘Big Brother 2012’)(06 of10)
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If there’s one thing we love here at HuffPost UK Entertainment, it’s a clunky Z-list name-drop. Lydia was evicted far too soon from her series, after a matter of days in the house, which we think is an injustice, largely because we wanted to hear more from her about how much she didn’t want to be associated with her famous fiancé… even though that’s all she talked about.Her famous fiancé - now husband - was later revealed to be… Andy Scott-Lee. (credit:Channel 5)
Helen Wood (‘Big Brother: Power Trip’)(07 of10)
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Yes, yes, we know, we know… but whatever you think of Helen, there’s no point in pretending that she wasn’t pivotal in the most recent series of ‘Big Brother’. Immediately gaining a fast pass to the final gave Helen the opportunity to act exactly how she wanted without any consequences… and she made sure not to let that chance pass her by, eventually rowing with almost every single one of her housemates.Helen’s win last summer also made for one of the show’s most shocking moments in its entire 15-year run, proving Big Brother still has the power to shock. (credit:Channel 5)
Jackie Travers (‘Big Brother: Secrets And Lies’)(08 of10)
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What. A. Woman. (credit:Channel 5)
Luke Anderson (‘Big Brother 2012’)(09 of10)
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There are plenty of reasons to rate Luke so highly in our list of Channel 5 'BB' contestants, not least because he wanted to do the show not to gain fame or raise his public profile, but to gain "acceptance" and make people more aware of transgender issues.In a series of what essentially became a two-month long shouting match between two groups of housemates, Luke managed to keep his cool and stay away from the arguments, eventually being crowned the second ever trans 'BB' winner by the public. (credit:Channel 5)
Gina Rio (‘Big Brother: Secrets And Lies’)(10 of10)
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Frankly, the fact that Gina didn't win her series of 'BB' is a reality TV injustice.Gina was like a latter-day Nikki Grahame, but while Nikki's tantrums were comparable to the rantings of a child, Gina's qualms were far more the complaints of a diva, and her hilarious asides helped make 'Secrets And Lies' one of the best series of 'Big Brother' ever (even if, sadly, the ratings weren't as high as they could have been).In particular, we'll always remember Gina and Dexter's life of luxury as they watched the rest of the housemates on the plasma screens, drinking champagne and making catty comments - camp, reality gold and exactly what 'BB' should be all about. (credit:Channel 5)