Michael Causer 460

THE mother of an openly gay teenager killed as he slept in bed has vowed to pursue a private prosecution against a man acquitted of his murder on Friday.

Family and friends of Whiston hairdresser Michael Causer held a peaceful protest outside Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

They were reacting to the acquittal on Friday of accused Gavin Alker, who was found not guilty following 13 hours of deliberation by a jury.

Michael’s mother, Marie Causer, said: “I feel completely betrayed by the justice system. My son, my kind hearted son, was portrayed in court to be a thug.

“Judge King portrayed Michael as a thug. How could he, he didn’t know him?

“I want someone to explain to me how a lad who worked in an old people’s home for free to try to bring some joy into their lives, who called bingo numbers, who volunteered for the British Lung Foundation’s Breathe Easy scheme can be a thug.

“Michael was seven and a half stone, he couldn’t have hurt a fly. He was dragged out of his bed at night.

“I am determined to fight this for him. I have to.”

Michael Causer, 18, was attacked on July 25 last year in what police described at the time as a homophobic attack.

He died in Walton neurology centre eight days later.

Paramedics found him lying on Tarbock Road, Huyton, at around 11am.