A synopsis of CPS East Midlands Homophobic & Transphobic Hate Crime convictions sentenced during 2013 - 2014
During May 2014 a transwoman was walking to her motor home when she noticed the defendant and a group of her friends standing near the vehicle. They started shouting abuse at her. The victim then got into her vehicle and they surrounded it shouting abuse and female blocked her path. They shouted ‘There’s a tranny, a bloke in a dress, man or woman’. The victim then drove off and accidentally run over the defendant breaking his foot. The circumstances were not disputed. The female defendant was charged with Sec 5 Public Order Act and given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £15 costs for insulting a transwoman causing the victim alarm and distress.
During May 2014 a domestic row between a couple spilled onto the streets. Intervening neighbours were abused and threatened with having their cars smashed up by the male protagonist. He also used homophobic abuse against one of the neighbours. The male was charged with assault, criminal damage and Sec 4 Public Order Act, and sentenced to 24 weeks imprisonment suspended for 8 weeks for a domestic violence incident and the homophobic verbal assault on a neighbour.
During April 2014 the victim was dancing in a pub and received torrent of homophobic abuse from the defendant who was also a patron of the pub. He said ‘You dirty faggot’ ‘You dirty fucking gay bastard’. The defendant was escorted off the pub premises and the police found a quantity of drugs on him which he had intended to sell in the pub. The male defendant was charged with possession of drugs and Section 5 Public Order Act fined £300 and ordered to pay £115 in additional costs. The defendant apologised for his behaviour and said he was not homophobic.
During March 2014 a male was stopped by police and asked to undertake a routine driver breath test. He became threatening and used homophobic abuse and other insults against the two officers including ‘A fat fucking lesbian..’. The male was charged with Sec 4 Public order Act and fined a total of £205 for using homophobic threatening words and behaviour towards a police officer
During January 2014 the victim was subject to abuse and an unprovoked attack by the defendant resulting in the victim needing 30 stitches. Both the victim and defendant were students attending the local college. The victim had been subjected to homophobic abuse and taunts such as ‘Faggot’ and ‘fucking gay prick’ over a long period of time. The victim said he was repeatedly targeted by the defendant for being gay. The male was charged with actual bodily harm and assault in the youth court and sentenced to a 6 months referral order and required to pay £200.
During January 2014 the victim a bouncer, was subject to a torrent of homophobic abuse for refusing to let a defendant into a gay club. He said ‘you’re a fucking poof who works on the doors’ ‘He’s a fucking homosexual’. The defendant had previously been banned from the venue. The defendant was charged with Sec 4 Public Order Act and fined a total of £270. The defendant was bi-sexual and the victim gay.
During November 2013 the victim who lived in a children’s home for teenagers was targeted for burglary by his housemates because he was gay. He had previously received homophobic threats from two house mates. When the victim discovered the burglary homophobic abuse had been graffiti sprayed on the walls of his room. The graffiti read ‘ Gay boy must die or leave now batty boi. You have been given an eviction notice now get the fuck out or I will fucking kill you’. The defendants who lived in the home were found with the victim’s stolen property. They were charged with burglary, and criminal damage. The case went for trial and they were both sentenced to 12 month supervision order, 70 hours unpaid work, a 4 month curfew 10pm – 7am, and had to each pay £100 in fines.
In March 2014 a male was charged with threatening behaviour, criminal damage and assaulting a police officer. The incident involved him being abusive to an RSPCA animal welfare officer. She attended his address with her colleague after receiving reports of his dogs fighting. At a follow up visit he swore at the officer and made homophobic comments. He said he would either hit or slap the officer and also said ’go back to your lesbian friend’. The officer was alarmed and felt unsafe.
He was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 2 years
A male was refused entry into Gay club and shouted out ‘Fucking faggott’ at door supervisor. The door supervisor was gay and was distressed by comments made. The male was charged with a Section 5 Public Order offence. The defendant was given a Fine £290 increased by £65 because of homophobic remark. The Sec146 uplift was clearly recorded.
Two defendants, a male and a female, used homophobic abuse when they were stopped from entering an ASDA store. The abuse was directed to the security guard in ASDA such as ‘you fucking bitch, fucking lesbian, fucking cunt’. The victim was gay and was left shaken.
The female was charged with the breach of an ASBO preventing her engaging in behaviour which is likely to cause harassment alarm or distress. For the persistent breach of ASBO the female was sentenced to 6 months YOI – 2 months for this offence.
During September 2012 a female led a group of other young women to commit an unprovoked attack on a lesbian couple in the street. Among the verbal comments made included ‘don’t go down our road you stupid lesbians’ followed by one complainant being swung down into a doorway by the hair and one being hit in the head.
The female defendant was sentenced to 12 Month parenting order, Referred to youth offender panel for 12 months and made to pay £80 compensation