"Why, no! I never even suspected! Super...thankssssss for asssssking!"
Posted on 01/12/2006 8:59:10 AM PST by Dane
Student escapes prosecution over 'gay horse' remarks 12/01/2006 - 15:09:47
An final-year Oxford University student from Belfast who called a mounted policeman’s horse gay will not be prosecuted, it was announced today.
Police stood by their decision to take Sam Brown (aged 21) to court for making “homophobic comments” after the Crown Prosecution Service today dropped the case.
Mr Brown approached the officer during a night out with friends in Oxford after his final exams, and said: “Excuse me, do you realise your horse is gay?”
Moments later, two Thames Valley Police squad cars appeared in the High Street and Mr Brown was arrested under section five of the Public Order Act for making homophobic remarks.
His remarks were deemed likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
Mr Brown, an English Literature graduate, then at Oxford’s Balliol College, spent the night of May 30 last year in the cells.
He refused to pay an £80 (€117.10) fine, so police took the case to court.
But at Oxford Magisrates’ Court today it emerged the Crown Prosecution Service had chosen to discontinue the case.
Prosecutor Cariad Eveson-Webb said: “The police issued a summons but the CPS have decided they do not wish to proceed.
“In their opinion there is not enough evidence to prove it [Mr Brown’s behaviour] was disorderly.”
Thames Valley Police today defended their decision to take the case to court.
A spokesman said: “We present the case to the CPS and the CPS make the decision to proceed or not.
“He made homophobic comments that were deemed offensive to people passing by.”
He denied the police were heavy-handed, and claimed that Mr Brown was drunk and that he had made repeated comments about the horse being gay, despite requests from the officers to desist.
Matthew Williams (aged 21), a friend of Mr Brown, witnessed events last May.
He said Mr Brown jokingly approached one of two mounted policemen saying: “Excuse me, do you realise your horse is gay?”
Mr Brown then repeated: “Your horse is gay,“ he said.
Mr Williams, a fellow Oxford English Literature graduate, said the officer called for back-up and two squad cars appeared. Mr Brown was then arrested and taken to the station.
“Sam’s comments were said in jest. It was very clear that they were not homophobic,” he added
And, apparently, it's illegal to "make remarks likely to cause... distress". What if he'd said the horse had a fat ass? I guess that would be good for thirty days without the option, as well.
What a pathetic country, to have such thought-control laws. Political correctness is modern-day McCarthyism, but with a much longer shelf life. PC has reached the point where it is more damaging to society than racism itself (or sexism, or homophobia). In fact, it reached that point at its inception.
Absolutely. Though even Orwell, would have tried to defuse the "majesty of the law" with his own humour.
As for myself,I will give it a try.
Ah, learned counsel, and what did the horse testify as to the facts of the matter Did he say he WAS gay? . Learned counsel replies. Only one word your honour.
Neigh.
I was in France a couple of years ago. They were starting their cigarettes are evil campaign, so I had to go outside a lot to smoke. I referred to the anti-smoking crowd as nico-nazis, and fascists, and was told by my Italian companion that I could say anti-nicotine, but the words nazi, and fascist were not allowed in public because of Europe's past.
I was amazed that she would refer to blacks by the infamous N word. Of course, when she would freely use that word, we Americans would all say, No, no, no, you can't use that word. She said it wasn't a bad word there.
It felt like being in bizarro word. I bet it's more bizarro world now in 2006.
Oh man. This puts a whole new light on Mr Ed and Wilbur!
Don’t get much Chaucer in most “high schools” (i.e. their equivalents) here. At least I didn’t. Dickens and Shakespeare was mostly it.
Apart from the fact that English teaching isn’t great in the UK, it’s a product of the different system. I believe we get Chaucer at A-Level (which is what your high schools go to I think), but you only study a few A-Levels, if at all. Mine were all science or maths.
Saying "Excuse me, but do you realize your horse is gay" is a homophobic comment? Good grief!
I've called my car gay because of the sound of the horn; glad I'm not living in Britain, or I might be facing jail time.
So have I but they haven't put me in jail yet.
We got a bit of Chaucer at around age 14 or 15 in the school I went to, and it was by no means a school of excellence. We got the rated X Chaucer material in college. What clued me in on this story was I remember all of us 15 year olds giggling when we came to the line about the horse not being gay.
"Why, no! I never even suspected! Super...thankssssss for asssssking!"
Ah well that’s below A-Level age. Actually I misinformed you; it’s AS-Levels now and I think students do more of them than we did A-Levels.
I will have to put the lack of Chaucer down to lame or cautious teaching. English was (is?) still recovering from previous Labour governments’ bright ideas when I was at school. Fortunately I did Latin so I did at least learn what grammar is.
At least we don't throw them in jail for saying it. But I guess that they have a much lower crime rate, so they've gotta keep their cops busy doing something.
No double standards in UK department comment ...
(Did Her Majesty actually utter "Arise Sir Iqbal?")
Muslim leader faces police questioning about 'homophobic' remarks
By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor
(Filed: 12/01/2006)
A British Muslim leader is being investigated by the police for allegedly homophobic remarks made during a radio interview.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said that homosexual practices were "harmful" and civil partnerships "not acceptable" last week.
Interviewed on BBC Radio Four's PM programme on Jan 3, Sir Iqbal said: "If you look into the scientific evidence that has been available in terms of the various forms of other illnesses and diseases that are there, surely it points out that, where homosexuality is practised, there is a greater concern in that area."
Asked if homosexuality was harmful to society, he said: "Certainly it is a practice that doesn't, in terms of health, in terms of the moral issues that comes along in a society - it is. It is not acceptable."
Peter Rippon, the programme's editor, was telephoned by an officer at West End Central police station in London yesterday, who said that he was investigating a homophobic incident under section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
This makes it an offence for a person to use "threatening, abusive or insulting words" within the hearing of "a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress" as a result.
The prosecution must also establish that the defendant intended his words to be threatening, abusive or insulting or that he was aware that they may be.
It is a defence for the accused to prove that his conduct was reasonable. The maximum penalty is a fine of £1,000.
There is no suggestion that the BBC is facing prosecution and it rebroadcast Sir Iqbal's remarks in full on yesterday's PM programme.
Sir Iqbal declined to comment further, saying he had not yet been contacted by the police.
The investigation follows a letter in The Daily Telegraph on Jan 6, pointing out that Christians who expressed negative views of homosexuality had previously been contacted by the police and warned against their behaviour.
Neil Addison, who wrote the letter, argued that if the police took no action against Sir Iqbal the Churches would be entitled to ask why Muslims were being treated differently from Christians.
Sir Iqbal defended his comments in a statement on his website last week. "What I said was only to reiterate the well-known Islamic position that the practice of homosexuality is not acceptable," he wrote.
"It is a sin. This view is shared in other scriptures, such as those of Christianity and Judaism."
Do you have special knowledge or experience of these issues? The Daily Telegraph's letters page welcomes your views: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
6 January 2006[Opinion]: Letters, 6 January '05
13 December 2005[Opinion]: What is a crime? It's a matter of opinion
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Sissies!
Homophobic? So this horse is a Homo sapiens? Was he referring to Camilla?
It continues to blow my mind at how the world has become enamored with the advocation of homosexuality, especially in light of the AIDS explosion in the eighties. I'm sick of being bombarded with their sex lives in virtually every aspect of daily life. I really long for the good old days when we were free to condemn their sexual acts without being attacked, and in some cases sued.
Visiting Europe was one of my life dreams. I was even fluent in German at one time. Now I have no desire to visit Western Europe, but Eastern Europe might be interesting.
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