‘Left for dead’: Jury hears gay man’s desperate struggle to survive after alleged homophobic Plymouth marina attack

A teenager accused of murdering a young gay man allegedly lured him to a Plymouth marina before launching a violent assault and pushing him into freezing water, leaving him to drown, a court has heard.

Layton Randle, 19, is on trial at Plymouth Crown Court over the death of 24-year-old Drew Perham, whose body was recovered from King Point Marina on 25 January.

Prosecutors allege Randle befriended Perham during a night out before tricking him into travelling to the waterfront in the early hours of the morning. Once there, he allegedly punched and kicked him before pushing him into the water on what prosecutor Dan Pawson-Pounds KC described as a “dark, cold, wet and windy January night”.

The court heard that police were alerted shortly after midnight by concerns that Perham had been assaulted and thrown into the marina. Officers found his mobile phone and watch on a pontoon during the early hours, before police divers eventually discovered his body on the seabed later that day.

A post-mortem examination concluded that Perham died by drowning.

Jurors were told Randle has admitted manslaughter but denies murder, claiming he did not intend to kill or cause really serious harm.

The prosecution alleges that after meeting Perham at The Depo nightclub, Randle pretended to be friendly before persuading him to leave with him. CCTV shown to the court reportedly captured the pair together during the evening, including moments where they appeared to be interacting amicably.

However, the Crown claims the encounter took a violent turn after the pair travelled to King Point Marina.

Witnesses in a nearby car described seeing what prosecutors called a “totally unprovoked and unexpected attack”, with Randle allegedly punching Perham repeatedly. The court heard Perham did not fight back and instead appeared to retreat while attempting to protect himself from the blows.

The jury was told that after the incident, Randle allegedly boasted to numerous people about what had happened, claiming he had beaten Perham and pushed him into the water.

Prosecutors said Randle later attended a party where he allegedly told people he had argued with a man called Drew before assaulting him. Witnesses described him as appearing nervous and in shock as he discussed the incident.

The court also heard evidence that Randle recorded a video of himself shortly after the alleged attack. In the footage, played to jurors, he allegedly admitted pretending to befriend Perham before taking him to the marina and attacking him.

According to the prosecution, Randle also sent Snapchat messages in which he allegedly referred to assaulting Perham and expressed fears that he would be arrested.

The jury heard that some of those messages included references to Perham's sexuality. Prosecutors allege Randle referred to him as a “gay lad” and used homophobic language when discussing the attack.

Mr Pawson-Pounds told jurors that those comments could provide “some insight” into why the two men ended up at the marina and why Perham was assaulted.

The court heard Perham was openly gay.

One of the most distressing aspects of the prosecution case concerns Perham’s final moments. Evidence presented to the jury suggests he was still alive after entering the water and made repeated attempts to pull himself to safety.

Pathologists found bruising to his upper arms and chest that prosecutors say is consistent with someone desperately trying to haul themselves from the marina onto a pontoon.

Jurors heard the water temperature was around nine degrees Celsius, cold enough to trigger cold water shock, causing an involuntary gasp that can quickly lead to drowning.

By the time Perham's body was recovered, he had been in the water for more than a day.

The court was also told that Randle allegedly returned to the marina around 20 minutes after the attack, not to check on Perham, but to retrieve a box of nitrous oxide canisters left near the scene.

Following his arrest, Randle answered “no comment” to police questions. He later provided a prepared statement admitting he had been involved in an altercation with Perham but insisting he never intended to cause him serious harm.

The trial continues.