tito

Ah right.

g hall

The old ACPO "rules" where 10% + 2 e.g 35 in a 30
These days 31 in a 30 and you're nicked

__________________
"That government is best which governs least."
"This is a sharp Medicine, but it is a Physician for all diseases and miseries".
"To be "matter of fact" about the world is to blunder into fantasy --and dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful."
TANSTAAFL TANJ

Tony Bennett

It will probably turn out that this incident is not ever going to be recorded as a 'hate crime', but as a matter of interest I am currently being investigated for having committed one.

I took a call from Detective Sergeant Marina Ericson of the Essex Police Western Divison (Harlow) Domestic Violence and Hate Crime Unit at 3.09pm on Tuesday 10 July. She announced that I had for some days been under investigation for a 'homophobic hate crime'.

The allegation relates to material on this website: www.thelubbocktrust.org.uk
which was placed there by the three members of The Lubbock Trust, one of which is me.

The matter has now been investigated for around 10 days or possibly more.

The Police say that some of the material on this site may amount to a 'homophobic hate crime' - but they may have overlooked (well, in fact they *have* overlooked) the Home Office website, which says that a homophobic hate crime is an *actual* crime (e.g. assault, criminal damage, GBH) that is *motivated* by 'homophobia'.

It is not yet legally possible for facts and opinons in an article written on the internet e.g. about the conduct and lifestyle of promiscuous homosexuals and the health risks they face and pose to others - to be illegal *of themselves*. Or at least, not yet. Otherwise there would be hundreds of prosecutions a year, as there is much worse 'anti-gay' material than on The Lubbock Trust website viewable on the Net.

In the meantime, therefore, I have complained to the Essex Police Chief Constable and my complaint is currently being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

This case is all about, of course, our right to free speech.

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Two other recent alleged 'hate crimes' might be mentioned.

Mr and Mrs Roberts of Lancashire, in 2005, were given an 80-minute talking-to (telling off) by two Lancashire Police Officers after they tried to circulate a Christian leaflet in a day centre. The couple were helped to complain about Lancashire Police's oppressive treatment of them - after all, their actions had come nowhere near to being any sort of crime.

The case was taken up by the Christian Institute and after taking them to the High Court for judicial review, Lancashire Police settled the case by paying out £10,000 Mr and Mrs Roberts. They promptly paid that money to a Christian charity.

The other was the case of a lady author who was being interviewed by Radio 5 Live. She dared to say during her interview that she did not favour 'gay adoption'. Within an hour of the programme ending, a Metropolitan Police Officer had spoken to her and warned her she was also being investigated for a 'homophobic hate crime'.

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Tony Bennett

I've just been told that Essex Police have decided that I have NOT committed a 'homophobic hate crime'. Here is my statement:

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Essex Police: "We agree with Tony Bennett: No crime was committed on The Lubbock Trust website"

STATEMENT FROM TONY BENNETT RE ALLEGATION OF 'HOMOPHOBIC HATE CRIME' ON THE LUBBOCK TRUST WEBSITE - Friday 20 July 6pm

I received this (below) today (Friday 20 July) at just after 5.00pm from D.C.I. Peter Hood, of Essex Police Professional Standards Department. It tells me that - as I always said - no 'hate crime' is disclosed on The Lubbock Trust website.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is now investigating my complaint about the actions of Detective Sergeant Marina Ericson and the Essex Police Hate Crimes Unit.

I have today written to Commissioner David Petch, the I.P.C.C. Commissioner responsible for investigating my complaint, asking for an outside police force to investigate the entire matter - because of my concerns about the way both the Essex Police Hate Crimes Unit and their Professional Standards Departments have handled this whole affair.

More will no doubt come out about who made this complaint and why - and why Essex Police decided to spend any time at all investigating the complaint.

Finally, I note that Ms Ericson (nor anyone else from her team) did not have the courtesy herself to notify me that, as I told her plainly 11 days ago, no crime had been committed, nor could have been committed, on The Lubbock Trust website, as the law now stands.

I have had to endure amongst other things headlines such as 'Gay Hate of Barrymore Accuser' in the 'Daily Express'.

I need a full, fair and impartial enquiry by the I.P.C.C. into what Essex Police thought they were doing investigating something they must have known from the word 'go' could never have been a crime.

Mr and Mrs Roberts of Lancashire were awarded £10,000 by Police this year after two Lancashire Police Officers wrongly grilled them for 80 minutes, unjustly accusing them of having committed a 'homophobic hate crime'.

Last year a noted female author was contacted by the Metropolitan Police Hate Crimes and Diversity Unit after she had the temerity to say during a Radio 5 Live interview that she did not agree with homosexual adoption. A homosexual had made a complaint against her.

My case must be the last ever in this country where Police Officers waste public time and money pursuing complaints of so-called 'homphobia' - a word invented by the homosexual community - which are clearly unrelated to any actual crime having been committed.

As a Christian, I do not hate anyone. But I reserve the right as an individual, and as a member of a Trust, to criticise the conduct of active and promiscuous homosexuals whenever appropriate, and to oppose, for example, such things as homosexual 'marriage' and and homosexual adoption - and the increasing promotion of the homosexual lifestyle as a valid alternative lifestyle in the nation's secondary and even primary schools.

I also believe that schools would be better advised to spend the time informing their pupils of the serious dangers and obvious health risks of a lifestyle of active homosexuality - and the vastly reduced life expectancy of those who embark on such a liefstyle in their teens. After all, we warn childen of the risks of obesity, smoking, drink and drugs. Why do we not also warn them of the adverse health consequences of a lifestyle of active homosexuality?

Such legitimate criticisms and viewpoints, deserving as they do from the Bible, must never, ever, be criminalised.

Tony Bennett
01279 635789
Mobile 07835 716537

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Peter Hood <Peter.Hood@essex.pnn.police.uk> wrote:

Classification: RESTRICTED

Dear Mr Bennett

I am writing to inform you that I have received notification from the Officer conducting the review into the material on the Lubbock Trust Website that they have now finished that part of the enquiry.

The material has been shared with the Crown Prosecution Service who has decided that the contents of the website do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offence.

Consequently the matter is now closed and we will proceed to deal with your complaint.


Yours Sincerely

Peter Hood
Detective Chief Inspector
Professional Standards
50347
01245 452466

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C_steam

i don;t suppose that there is absolutely any element of trying to get their own back here? I refer, of course, to the words on your web site regarding essex police:-

No, of course not!

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Users on ignore list: None. I've got to have people to laugh at.
Cowardly Posters* list: BobFM, Bellatrix.*People who post personal insults then refuse to reply

.

TonyG

What, you mean as against "I really, really like you crimes"?

__________________
If you don't think you can change the world, who do you expect to do it for you?

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http://www.mercola.com/townofallopat...ofallopath.htm

Tony Bennett

This is how the Daily Telegraph reported another 'homophobic' non-crime in December 2005:

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Police warn author over gay comments
By Sally Pook - Daily Telegraph
Last Updated: 1:03am GMT 10/12/2005


An author and broadcaster condemned as "sinister" yesterday an inquiry conducted by police over comments she made about homosexuals on a live radio programme.

Lynette Burrows, an author on children's rights and a family campaigner, took part in a discussion on the Victoria Derbyshire show on Radio Five Live about the new civil partnerships act.

[Picture: Lynette Burrows]

During the programme, she said she did not believe that homosexuals should be allowed to adopt. She added that placing boys with two homosexuals for adoption was as obvious a risk as placing a girl with two heterosexual men who offered themselves as parents. "It is a risk," she said. "You would not give a small girl to two men."

A member of the public complained to the police and an officer contacted Mrs Burrows the following day to say a "homophobic incident" had been reported against her.

"I was astounded," she said. "I told her this was a free country and we are allowed to express opinions on matters of public interest. She told me it was not a crime but that she had to record these incidents.

"They were leaning on me, letting me know that the police had an interest in my views. I think it is sinister and completely unacceptable."

Scotland Yard confirmed last night that Fulham police had investigated a complaint over the radio programme.

A spokesman said it was policy for community safety units to investigate homophobic, racist and domestic incidents because these were "priority crimes".

It is standard practice for all parties to be spoken to, even if the incident is not strictly seen as a crime. "It is all about reassuring the community," said the spokesman. "We can confirm that a member of the public brought to our attention an incident which he believed to be homophobic.

"All parties have been spoken to by the police. No allegation of crime has been made. A report has been taken but is now closed."

Mrs Burrows, of Cambridge, the author of Fight For The Family, is the mother of six children and the sister of Victoria Gillick, who unsuccessfully campaigned for parents to have to consent before underage girls could be prescribed the contraceptive pill.

She said she would not allow the investigation to stop her expressing her views.

Radio Five said: "In the context of a live radio programme it sometimes happens that challenging and unpleasant opinions are expressed. Neither Victoria nor the BBC as a whole endorse any of the views of outside contributors to the phone-in debate."

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Tony Bennett

Here also is the Press Association's report on the £10,000 compensation paid out to Joe and Helen Roberts:

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Apology for Christian couple over homosexuality 'morally wrong' claimBack to Local Government

Publisher: Jon Land
Published: 23/12/2006 - 10:53:14 AM

Apology for Christian couple who said homosexuality was 'morally wrong'

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A Christian couple questioned by police for describing homosexuality as "morally wrong" have won a £10,000 payout and an apology.

Helen and Joe Roberts were reported to Lancashire Constabulary last December after they asked Wyre Borough Council to display Christian literature alongside leaflets about gay rights.

The council refused, which prompted Mrs Roberts to make a telephone complaint in which she described homosexual practice as "morally wrong".

Two police officers then visited the Roberts' home, in Fleetwood, and questioned them for an hour and 20 minutes about their moral beliefs.

The couple took legal action against Lancashire Constabulary and Wyre Borough Council for infringing their freedom of expression and religious belief, and a High Court hearing was due to take place next month.

The Roberts have now agreed to drop the action after both the police and council apologised and offered £10,000, which will be donated to charity, plus legal costs.

In a written apology, Lancashire Police accepted they should have made proper inquiries before deploying officers.

The apology states: "The decision to send the officers was made after consideration. However, on reflection, we do believe that further inquiries should have been made before they were deployed.

"Had those inquiries been undertaken then we accept it is very likely that our approach would have been different and the officers would not have been deployed.

"We understand the distress you felt at, and following, the visit from the police officers, and we regret that. We fully accept that we now know that you never committed or threatened any crime."

The apology also states that procedures have been reviewed and offers to consult the Roberts on further changes.

Wyre Borough Council's written apology recognised a "fundamental weakness" of its procedures was that a single council officer could deem an incident as homophobic.

The apology reads: "We recognise this was a traumatic incident for you and are writing to express our regret and apologise for the way in which this matter was handled.

"As you are aware, the matter was reported by a council officer to Lancashire Constabulary in accordance with policies and procedures agreed between the police and the council to promote the effective reporting of homophobic incidents.

"These were new policies that have since evolved and developed with the benefit of experience, including the outcome of this case.

"With the benefit of hindsight, we recognise that a fundamental weakness of the procedures followed by the council at this time was that an incident could be reported by a single officer on the basis of his individual evaluation of the incident."

In a statement released by pressure group the Christian Institute, the Roberts said: "We are delighted at the result. It has been a long year battling this case and we are so pleased that common sense has prevailed."

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Press Association 2006.

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Westcountryman

They should have pushed it all the way through the Court system and set a legal precedent.

__________________
Manus haec inimica tyrannis ense petit placidam sub libertate quietam - "This hand of mine, which is hostile to tyrants, seeks by the sword quiet peace under liberty."

Tony Bennett

www.newsday.com

A 'hate crime' from the U.S.:

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Hate-crime arrests in Quran desecrations at Pace University

July 27, 2007, 8:33 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) _

A 23-year-old man was arrested Friday on hate-crime charges after he threw a Quran in a toilet at Pace University on two separate occasions, police said.

Stanislav Shmulevich of Brooklyn was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and aggravated harassment, both hate crimes, police said. It was unclear if he was a student at the school. A message left at the Shmulevich home was not immediately returned.

The Islamic holy book was found in a toilet at Pace's lower Manhattan campus by a teacher on Oct. 13. A student discovered another book in a toilet on Nov. 21, police said.

Muslim activists had called on Pace University to crack down on hate crimes after the incidents. As a result, the university said it would offer sensitivity training to its students.

The school was accused by Muslim students of not taking the incident seriously enough at first. Pace classified the first desecration of the holy book as an act of vandalism, but university officials later reversed themselves and referred the incident to the New York Police Department's hate crimes unit.

The incidents came amid a spate of vandalism cases with religious or racial overtones at the school. In an earlier incident on Sept. 21, the school reported another copy of the Quran was found in a library toilet, and in October someone scrawled racial slurs on a student's car at the Westchester County satellite campus and on a bathroom wall at the campus in lower Manhattan. Police did not connect Shmulevich to those incidents.

Treatment of the Quran is a sensitive issue for Muslims, who view the book as a sacred object and mistreating it as an offense against God. The religion teaches that the Quran is the direct word of God.

In 2005, Newsweek magazine published and later retracted a story claiming U.S. interrogators at a prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flushed a copy of the holy book down a toilet. The report sparked deadly demonstrations in Afghanistan and protests throughout the Middle East.

Pace University has 14,000 students on its campuses in New York City and Westchester County.

Messages left for school administrators and for officials with the New York and national chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations were not immediately returned Friday evening.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the national CAIR office in Washington, D.C., has said the organization receives frequent reports of Quran desecrations in the United States, especially postings on Internet sites, but seldom makes them public.

He said CAIR decided to speak out about the Pace incidents because Muslim students are impacted by the creation of what could be viewed as a hostile campus environment.

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