A gay British YouTube star has pleaded guilty to felony vandalism in an incident in which he claimed to be the victim of a hate crime.
Calum McSwiggan was sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 52 anger management sessions after he vandalised a car belonging to a man who he had an altercation with in West Hollywood on June 27.
The 26-year-old Londoner claimed that the man and his friends had beaten him and broken his teeth outside The Abbey gay club, but the authorities said McSwiggan was seen hitting himself with a prison payphone.
McSwiggan, who is known to his followers on YouTube for discussing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, pleaded guilty on Monday to the vandalism charge, according to The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
After he was charged in June, McSwiggan wrote on Facebook that he had caused the injury that required the stitches to his head but insisted he was attacked by three men.
"Just because there were no visible marks on my face does not mean I was not attacked," he wrote.
"Being accused of being a liar and being called a disgrace to the LGBT+ community, a community I've dedicated my life to, is more painful than any hate crime could ever be."