A friend of two lesbian girls who were allegedly assaulted in Hamrun in January because their sexual orientation said in court today that one of the victims had been head-butted by one of the aggressors as he declared that he would not shirk from assaulting women.

A similar description was given by the mother of one of the victims, who said she had taken her daughter to hospital with a bleeding nose and mouth following the head-butt.

Two teenage brothers and a 35-year-old woman are accused of having attacked the girls because of their sexual orientation. The girls are charged with slightly injuring the brothers.

All are pleading not guilty.

One of the witnesses, 16, said that she was in a gazebo with a friend. They were dancing to music from a mobile phone while the lesbian couple sat opposite.

The boys and the woman were in a balcony overlooking the garden.

She heard one of the boys insult one of the girls and calling her a lesbian and the girl replied in kind.   

The boys then came down to the garden and an argument, followed by a brawl ensued. 

The friend corroborated her friend's evidence and said the older boy head-butted one of the girls as he said he did not shirk from hitting a woman.

The mother of one of the alleged victims said her daughter called her on the phone saying she had been head-butted by a man. She went to the scene and found her daughter crying. She had a bloodied nose and mouth. She took her to Mater Dei because of a suspected broken nose and they there up to 4 a.m.

The case continues.