Gay prison bashing victim Thomas Owen has been promised protection for the remainder of his sentence, following an attack by several prisoners at the weekend which saw him hospitalised. 55-year-old Owen received a broken nose, cuts to his face, eye injuries and bruising to his body that suggest he was kicked on the ground. Owen's lawyer Peter Boylan believes the Corrections Department should have identified Owen as vulnerable, and a likely target because of the high-profile case and his homosexuality, although it does not appear the attack was a result of gay bashing. A 23-year-old inmate will appear in the Auckland District Court today on serious assault charges in connection with the attack.