An image of the couple on the bus, with bleeding faces and blood splattered across their clothes, went viral on social media in the days following the attack.

\"This was a disgusting attack on two women who appear to have been picked out and targeted by a group of youths,\" Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Cox said in a statement. \"The suspects have made a number of homophobic comments towards the couple before throwing coins at them. When the women tried to reason with the group, the attack escalated to an assault.\"

The four boys, aged 15 through 17, all from London, were arrested in early June. In addition to the aggravated hate crime charges, one of the 16-year-olds also has been charged with theft and handling stolen goods, the other 16-year-old old also has been charged with possession of cannabis and the 15-year-old also has been charged with handling stolen goods, according to police.

They will appear in court on Aug. 21, police said.

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