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YouTube personality in 'gay hate crime attack' charged with making false police report after 'faking injuries'
A gay YouTube personality who said he was assaulted outside a West Hollywood club has been charged with filing a false police report and faking his injuries.
London-native Calum McSwiggan – who runs a LGBT and lifestyle channel – was seen hitting himself with a jail payphone after his arrest early on Monday, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department says.
Mr McSwiggan had claimed he was assaulted by three men outside a gay club, but deputies said they could not substantiate his claims and took him into custody after seeing him vandalise a car.
The 26-year-old wrote he was attacked by three men who broke his teeth in an Instagram post on Tuesday that included a picture of him in a hospital bed.
"Last night was the worst night of my life and I'm really struggling to find the words to talk about it. After one of the most wonderful weekends at VidCon we went out to a gay club to celebrate, and towards the end of the evening I was separated from my friends and beaten up by three guys," explained the caption.
He was charged on Wednesday with one misdemeanor count of making a false police report.
A Facebook message sent to him seeking comment was not immediately returned on Wednesday. He was released late on Monday after posting $20,000 bail.
Sheriff's officials released his mug shot, which was taken before he hit himself with the phone. No injuries were visible.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Mr McSwiggan acknowledged he hit himself in the head with a jail phone, but reiterated he was attacked outside the gay club.
On Wednesday the star wrote on Twitter that it was "killing him" to keep quiet about the "truth" ahead of a visit to court.