Convicted Philly gay basher Kathryn Knott was officially sentenced today to 5-10 months in jail.
When the judge announced a sentence of five to 10 months in jail, Knott, 25, slumped forward in her seat at the defense table and wept.
Knott’s attorney, Louis Busico, who had sought only probation for her, asked the judge if Knott could begin her jail term at a later date.
“She’s going to surrender now,” Covington said in her typical soft voice.
At that, Knott’s mother, Carol Knott, rose from her seat in the second row. A deputy sheriff motioned for her to sit down in the front row.
After Knott got up, red-faced and weeping heavily, she went to the bar of the court and hugged her mother. She then hugged her father, Karl Knott, the police chief of Chalfont Borough, in Bucks County. Then she hugged her mother again.
Knott, of Southampton, had been convicted by a Philadelphia jury in December of four misdemeanor counts – simple assault, conspiracy to commit simple assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment, but acquitted of a more serious felony charge of aggravated assault. The judge also ordered Knott to serve two years probation after her jail term.
The attack that Knott took part in sent two men to the hospital. One of the men had such severe injuries that his shattered jaw had to wired shut for months.
During the trial last year, Philadelphia Magazine reported on the details of the vicious assault according to the testimony of one of the victims, Zachary Hesse:
“What is that, your fucking boyfriend?”
“Yeah, so what if it is my boyfriend,” Hesse said he replied. He said Harrigan shot back in a “tough-guy” tone: “I guess you’re a dirty fucking faggot then.” Hesse approached Harrigan and shouted the same words back at him. Harrigan then pushed him, Hesse testified, and he pushed back. That’s when Harrigan punched him.
Hesse testified the ensuing incident was “terrifying.” He said the group shouted “fucking faggot” and “dirty faggot” constantly; he said it was said “more than 10, more than 20 times.” He threw a punch but it didn’t connect. About six people grabbed his arms, he said in court, and eventually Kathryn Knott threw a punch or slap — he closed his eyes when he saw her open hand coming toward his face — at him while shouting the slur. He identified Knott has his assailant in court.
It’s worth noting that Knott was offered the same plea deal her two co-defendants accepted which would have kept her out of jail serving only probation and community service.
She refused the deal.
