Gay YouTube star ‘lied about hate crime attack by beating himself up with a prison phone after being arrested for vandalising cars’
Police say they found the vlogger unharmed but saw him hit himself repeatedly over the head with a phone in the station
A YOUTUBER has allegedly lied about being beaten up by three men outside a gay club in Los Angeles, according to police.
Brit Calum McSwiggan, 26, was on holiday in the west coast city when he claimed on social media that he had been assaulted.
The YouTuber was out at popular gay club The Abbey with three friends when the alleged assault happened.
He posted a selfie of himself in hospital on Facebook and Instagram, saying that he had “three broken teeth and six stitches in my forehead”.
But despite the fact that McSwiggan and his friends said that the attack happened, police say that they cannot verify that he was beaten.
According to Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department, the Youtuber was seen smashing a phone into his head several times in the police station.
On Tuesday, McSwiggan tweeted: “I've been told to say nothing before court tomorrow but staying silent here is killing us. If you're a friend just DM me for the truth.”
He wrote on Facebook and Instagram: “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.
“I've never felt so terrified to be a gay man in the public eye.”
But his claims were not confirmed by LA police.
The Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department said in a statement: “Deputies from West Hollywood Station responded to and investigated the report by Calum McSwiggan that he was assaulted by three males after leaving a local nightclub early Monday morning.
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“Responding deputies were unable to substantiate the assault. Mr. McSwiggan, who had no visible injuries, was subsequently arrested after deputies observed him vandalizing a car in the 8900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard.
“After being booked and photographed, Mr McSwiggan was placed into a cell by himself at West Hollywood Station.
“Mr McSwiggan was then observed injuring himself with the handle and receiver to a payphone inside the cell.
“Medical personnel were summoned and Mr McSwiggan was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Mr McSwiggan’s booking photo was taken prior to deputies seeing Mr McSwiggan injuring himself.”
McSwiggan was arrested by police at 2.30am on Monday morning and released on a $20,000 bail.
But the Youtuber’s friends have rallied to the personality’s defence.
Fellow vlogger Riyadh Khalaf said: “Haven't spoken about it at all but last night @CalumMcSwiggan was attacked by three guys outside a gay bar in LA. It was disgusting and terrifying to see this sh*t still goes on in today's world and to one of my closest and dearest friends.
“He has three cracked teeth and stitches in his head but is safe and somewhat well with us now. Please please be safe when out with friends and don't get separated.
“These people knew where we were going to be because of our posts on social media before we went out and even said our names as they beat him.”
Khalaf told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: “We will be making a video later today giving a full account of what Melanie and I saw after Calum called us saying he was attacked.
“We were approached by three males in the car park after the attack happened. They were threatening to shoot Calum and I caught it on my phone's camera while pretending to be taking a call from police.
“Of course we still have no idea if these men were the ones who attacked Calum.”
Friend Melanie Murphy said that “everyone is lying in their articles” on Twitter.
Members of the LGBT community are concerned that McSwiggan has lied in the wake of the horrific Orlando shooting.
Earlier this month, 49 people were shot dead in a Florida gay club.
People who claim to have also been partying at The Abbey that night have also alleged that the Youtuber vandalised a car on his night out.
McSwiggan has 62,000 followers on his YouTube channel and vlogs about gay issues.
He has openly talked about the fact that he used to make gay webcam porn when he was in university.
According to McSwiggan, he was fired from his previous job for being gay.
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