A man who says he is the cousin of Kathryn Knott, the 25-year-old Bucks County woman charged in the Center City gay-bashing case, is defending her in a Facebook post that was at least partially read into the record this morning in court.

Tim Perkins posted the public message on his Facebook last night, saying he is “a proud and active member of the LGBTQ+ community,” and defended Knott, saying: “In my 19 years with Kathryn, I have never once felt uncomfortable in her presence.”

Knott faces charges of aggravated assault, among other charges, and is alleged to have taken part in beating a gay couple on Sept. 11, 2014. Eyewitnesses and the victims say she was part of a group screaming the word “faggot” as they beat on the gay couple, putting one of the men in the hospital with broken facial bones.

Perkins finished his message with a note to the jury which is currently deliberating: “please allow Kathryn to go home.”

Here’s the full posting:

To read Billy Penn‘s ongoing coverage of the trial, follow the story here.