Gay community calls for justice over banjo killing

- July 10, 2009

Ferdinand Ambach was found guilty of manslaughter but not guilty of murder - Victim's family condemn 'archaic' law

A just sentence rather than revenge is what the gay community would want handed down to a Hungarian tourist who bashed a man to death, a gay rights advocate said today.

Ferdinand Ambach, 32, a dive master, was last night found not guilty of murdering Ronald Brown, 69, but guilty of manslaughter.

He faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment when he is sentenced next month.

During a High Court trial in Auckland, the jury was told that Ambach beat Mr Brown with a banjo before ramming the instrument's neck down his throat.

The attack happened after Mr Brown met Ambach in a bar and took him back to his Onehunga flat.

Part of Ambach's defence was that Mr Brown, who was gay, made unwanted sexual advances to him.

At the trial, defence lawyer Peter Kay raised the possibility that Mr Brown might have attempted to rape Ambach, which triggered "a monstrous rage" during which Ambach lost control.

Gay rights advocate Neville Creighton said he could understand the jury's conclusion of manslaughter, as it appeared that there had not been evidence of premeditation.

But the gay community would want a sentence that reflected the seriousness of the attack.

"There's a difference between justice and revenge, but it would need to be a
just sentence and not a slap on the wrist," he said.

Mr Creighton drew a comparison with a heterosexual situation.

"If this sort of panic is an acceptable defence, then every woman who has an unacceptable advance made to her would have a right to attack and kill the guy, which is patently stupid," he said.

"This was a strong, young guy with a much older man. If he had to be physical, why didn't he just punch him once and walk out?"

Mr Brown's family condemned the provocation law that allowed a partial defence of murder, with niece Tracy Evans saying they were "deeply disgusted with the verdict".

"It's a sad indictment on our legal system that the defence can completely fabricate a case and slander a good man's character in an attempt to defend a murderer."

Mr Brown's battered body was found at his flat in the early hours of December 7, 2007.

He died three days later in hospital after his life support was switched off.

- NZPA Read Article

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Catholic aide claims gay men are to blame for paedophilia

Pinknews.com.au • May 26, 2009

An aide of the Archbishop of Cardiff has claimed that gay men are the main perpetrators of paedophilia in the Catholic Church.

In the wake of recent exposures of widespread cases of paedophilia within the Catholic church, controversy has been renewed by Father John Owen.

Speaking on BBC1's Big Questions programme on Sunday, the
communications officer for the archdiocese of Cardiff stated that "most
of the offences are being committed by homosexuals".

Father Owen, also a chaplain at Cardiff University, said that
teenage boys were the group affected by the “majority” of abuse cases
in the United Kingdom, adding: "Now what does that tell you? Now that
is a fact."

Owen faced strong opposition to his views live on the programme, as
radio talk-show presenter James O'Brien who himself had been taught by
monks in a Catholic school as a teenager, replied: "The monks who ended
up facing criminal charges for abuse were paedophiles not homosexuals
and I find your attempted defence of these crimes repellent."

Author and director of Amnesty International Ireland Colm O'Gorman,
who has written of his own abuse, described Owen's words as
"ill-informed, ignorant, corrupt and dishonest". Read more _____________________________________________________________

100 arrested in hate crime raids across London
Pinknews.com.uk • May 20, 2009

One hundred people were arrested today as part of a police swoop on hate crimes in London.

The Metropolitan Police Service began a series of raids on addresses across the capital this morning to crack down on domestic, homophobic, transphobic, race and other forms of hate crime.

A police spokesman confirmed that as of 1.30pm, 100 arrests had been made relating to domestic violence and hate crimes such as homophobia and transphobia.

He added that police had focused on offenders who were known to them or who had evaded arrest. Read more
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Vigilantes 'patrolling woods with chainsaws' to discourage cottaging
PinkNews.co.uk • May 20, 2009

A group of vigilantes apparently armed with chainsaws and shotguns have been patrolling a Derbyshire wood to discourage gay men meeting for sex.

The report comes in the same week that Colin Haw, a self-styled 'protector of morals', was prosecuted for posting footage of men meeting for sex on a Lincolnshire website. Read more
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Vigilante who filmed men cottaging is spared jail
PinkNews.co.uk • May 19, 2009

A self-styled 'protector of morals' who filmed gay men having sex in a woodland was spared jail yesterday.

Colin Haw, 47, led a group of men who dressed in balaclavas and combat kit to patrol a wood near Sleaford in Lincolnshire.

They would film men meeting and post the footage on a local website, often accompanied with music such as YMCA by the Village People and the nursery rhyme Teddy Bear's Picnic. Read more
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Backflip: curry company apologises • SX • May 6, 2009

Mudgeeraba Spices and Curry Blends, the company at the centre of allegations regarding an attack on a gay couple at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, has issued a “heartfelt apology” over the incident.

On April 12, the pair was verbally abused and had a pot of curry thrown at them by a Mudgeeraba Spices employee who deduced that they were a couple.

Last week, Marissa Moore, Managing Director of the company, denied that the incident took place when speaking to SX. In a separate interview with ninemsn, she acknowledged that an incident had occurred, but said the couple were the aggressors, who became abusive when they weren’t served promptly.

This week, Moore said she had spoken to one half of the couple, Richard, and was sorry for what had happened.

“Whilst I am unable to qualify any actions which might be considered discriminatory, I am quite aware that the customer feels he was treated badly,” she said in a statement to SX. “I therefore offer my heartfelt apology to the customer and offer every assurance that all actions have been taken to avoid any similar incidence in the future. Read more
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Iraqi gay torture claim • SSO • May 1, 2009

Police are torturing gay Iraqis to death by gluing their anuses shut and inducing diarrhea, according to reports emerging from Iraq.

The reports, which originate from the Emirates-based media network Al-Arabiya, indicate that some captured gay men are having a type of super-glue squirted into their anuses. The glue bonds skin instantly and requires surgery to remove. The gay man is then allegedly forced to drink a liquid that induces diarrhea, causing a slow and agonising death. Read more
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Curry company denies homophobic attack • SX • April 29, 2009

A curry vendor has refuted claims that one of its employees attacked a gay couple at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Marissa Moore, Managing Director of Mudgeeraba Spices and Curry Blends, denied that an employee at the company’s stand told the couple to “get lost” and threw a pot of curry at them on April 12, in a homophobic attack.

“I have investigated the complaint and refute the allegations made concerning this incident,” Moore told SX. “In particular, the descriptions as to the facts are untrue, and the issue has been blown out of all proportion. The staff in attendance ... acted politely and responsibly.

“We have no issue with dealing with adult customers of all persuasions,” she said. Read more
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Gay couple attacked at Royal Easter Show • SX • April 22, 2009

A gay couple has been attacked by a stallholder in the Woolworths Food Dome while visiting the Sydney Royal Easter Show at Homebush Bay on Sunday, April 12.

A male complainant, who wished to be identified in this report only by his first name, Richard, told SX that he and his partner were verbally abused and had a pot of curry thrown at them while visiting a stall run by Mudgeeraba Spices and Curry Blends.

Richard said that when the couple went to try one of the sauces offered for public taste testing, they were told by a female worker at the stall: “No, it’s only for mums and dads. It’s only for people who have families.” Read more

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Northern NSW Bashing • Queensland Pride • April 22, 2009

A twenty-year-old man from the Northern NSW township of Wollongbar is recovering in Lismore Base Hospital after being bashed because of his sexuality.

Sean Rich, who works in Brisbane as a social worker, was attacked and thrown through a glass plate window River Street, Ballina on Tuesday, April 7 according to The Northern Star.

“It was a straight out hate crime,” Rich said. “They were calling me a faggot.”

A nurse caring for Rich at Lismore Base Hospital said he was lucky to be alive – a major cut on Rich’s thigh was five centimetres from a major artery. Read more and comment _____________________________________________________________

Australia raises Iraq’s gay killings • SSO • April 21, 2009

The Rudd Government has sought answers to claims that 25 men and boys were killed in anti-gay attacks in Baghdad in the last month.

“Concerned by media reports that homosexual men have been the target of violence and extra-judicial killings in Iraq, officials in Canberra have raised these concerns with the Iraqi Ambassador to Australia [Ghanim Al Shibli],” a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

“Australia is a principled advocate of human rights for all and supported the statement on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation at the 63rd United Nations General Assembly on 18 December 2008.” Read more
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Should we stay or should we go • SSO Soap Box • April 21, 2009

Earlier this month came more shocking news from Iraq with the
discovery of the bodies of 25 gay men and teens, killed by Islamic
death squads — many with pieces of paper with the Arabic word for
pervert pinned to their chests.

Under the secular Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein, gays were
largely left alone by authorities despite facing widespread
discrimination, and there were parks where they knew they could find
each other.

The killings began quickly in the lawless years following Saddam’s
removal, with victims often tried in absentia by local religious
tribunals without any legal authority.

Yet as order returns to the country, the sexual cleansing of Iraq has only accelerated. Read more _____________________________________________________________

Hate Bashing In Ballina • SameSame • April 14, 2009

Last Tuesday a 20 year old gay man from Wollongbar was attacked and thrown through a glass shop front in River Street, Ballina.

“It was a straight out hate crime,” said Sean Rich, the victim of the attack. “They were calling me a faggot.”

Ballina police have charged a 17 year old local male, and investigations into the involvement of others are ongoing.

Rich was still in hospital on Thursday, recovering from a 12 cm gash to his upper thigh, a 15 cm wound across his upper arm, a deep gash to his left hand and various cuts and bruises. Read more and comment
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Wollongbar man bashed because he is gay • Northern Star • April 11, 2009

BASHING victim Sean Rich is no stranger to violence.

At the age of just 13 he was bashed by a gang in Brisbane, and two years ago he and his sister were with their father when he was bashed and stabbed in Brisbane.

On Tuesday night the violence became a recurring nightmare when the 20-year-old gay man, from Wollongbar, was attacked and thrown through a glass shop front in River Street, Ballina.

“It was a straight out hate crime,” Mr Rich said. “They were calling me a faggot.”

Mr Rich suffered a 12cm gash to his upper thigh, a 15cm wound across his upper arm, another deep gash to his left hand, a bruise in the shape of a thumb print on his neck, plus other cuts and abrasions. Read more