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A British politician has been found guilty of a public-order offense over a quip that likened gay people to pedophiles.
Peter Willows has served on the city council of Brighton and Hove, a district of East Sussex in the south of England, for 12 years. The area is city renowned for its large and vocal gay community. He made the comment at a mayoral inauguration reception in May. The 75-year-old was asked by the editor of the gay magazine Gscene whether he thought fellow council member Paul Elgood, who is gay, was a pedophile, Brighton Magistrates' Court was told. "Willows replied to that with, 'I know you are not, Paul -- it's the other gays'." The lawyer for the prosecution argued that Willows' words "equated gay people with pedophiles." Willows, a war veteran, former welder and member of the Conservative party, was ordered to pay 250 pounds and received a conditional discharge. When he said he was unable to pay on the spot, his friend Geoff Wells stood up and offered to settle the bill. A chorus of "I'll pay" went around the courtroom, as other friends volunteered to chip in. Wells, 60, stated, "At the cost to the Crown, this should never have come to court." Willows left court without commenting. James Ledward, the GScene editor who heard the original comment, told Gay.com U.K.: This successful prosecution sends out a clear message that bigots will not be tolerated anymore in Brighton and Hove by the judiciary. "We should expect the highest standards from our public servants. Peter Willows has failed not only the LGBT residents in his ward, but all fair-minded residents in Brighton and Hove. "Now that the criminal proceedings have been completed, I look to local Conservatives to suspend him from their group, pending the outcome of outstanding complaints to the Standards Board of England. Willows told the magistrates' court during the day-long trial that he had "lots of colleagues who are gay. I treat them as normal as they would wish to be treated." He denied a charge of "using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior, or disorderly behavior, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress." Finding him guilty, chairwoman of the bench Pauline Quinton said: "Because you knew that both men were gay ... your remarks would inevitably be insulting." Willows had been suspended from serving on the Brighton and Hove city council until the end of the trial. After the verdict, the city's Conservative group said in a statement: "We will consult on the necessary action to be taken and the party will act swiftly. We do not share the views, as expressed, and disassociate ourselves from them." Willows' barrister, Irena Ray-Crosby, said her client had made a "stupid mistake which he bitterly regrets." Source: planetout.com |
