2006 Cornwall Gay Assaults - 'A Lack Of True Vision'

2006 - HOMOPHOBIC ASSAULTS

' A LACK OF 'TRUE VISION'

 

 

 

May 2006: (Helston Flora Day) Lidbury along with another gay/bi male whilst attending Helston Flora Day funfair were violently assaulted at Castle Green car park. The other gay/bi male victim was bottled over the head, and then violently kicked in the head, face chest & stomach by assailants. Lidbury shielded the prone victim with his body, preventing attempts by the multiple assailants to stamp on the victims head. The assault witnessed by numerous persons, many of whom were also gay.

However when one victim reported to the police it was a ‘homophobic assault’, police told the victim to: quote “Shut up, be quiet, you don’t want to say that”. However Lidbury, who was the 2nd assault victim, knew as a gay equality campaigner this homophobic police attitude was entirely contrary to the 'True Vision' police policy on dealing with a homophobic incident & CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) policy on homophobic incidents.

 

True Vision Policy:

The three police officers attending the assault allowed the drunken assailants to leave the scene (police actually helped the assailants into a taxi). This was despite Lidbury having positively identified the assailants, to police. Lidbury drove the injured assault victim to West Cornwall hospital for stitches & x-ray. Directly due to hostile & prejudicial attitude of police attending the scene, none of the other several gay persons witness to the incident felt safe to come forward to homophobic Cornwall police.

Lidbury went the following day to the local Helston police station to provide a statement.  Lidbury was threatened by police if he (Lidbury) pursued making a complaint regarding the assault incident, they (police) would prosecute the other gay victim. The gay youth previously abused & targeted by police was amongst several witnesses who did not feel safe to come forward as a witness due to personal experiences of homophobic police in Cornwall.

Cornwall police have ALWAYS refused to identify the police officers responsible for this abuse.

The police intimidation regarding an alleged (false) allegation of a serious arrest able offence involving the other victim was most successful in intimidating him into not proceeding against the Helston police officers concerned. However Lidbury did proceed.

 

Despite considerable obstruction from Devon & Cornwall police (Three police officers at Helston police station refused to take Lidbury’s complaint or statement of assault) Lidbury eventually won as victim a court case against one of the assailants for ‘common assault’. No thanks to obstructive attitude of Devon & Cornwall police.

1995 - DEVON & CORNWALL

POLICE HOMOPHOBIA

 

 

 

March 1995 – on going. Devon & Cornwall police ran an active campaign targeting gay/bisexual men in Cornwall. Devon & Cornwall police ran an agent provocateur sting against gay/bi men in Cornwall.  Some victims contacted Lidbury who as editor ran an article in the ICT LGBT newsletter.  The Devon & Cornwall police were breaching Home Office guidelines issued some years previously on stopping of use of deliberate police entrapment using ‘pretty-boy’ police officers in areas frequented by ‘some’ gay/bi men.

 

Mch 95: The LGBT newspaper Pink Paper ran it as a front page article.

 

Matthew Taylor Mp also took up the issue of police targeting gay/bi men. At the time local business traders in some of Cornwall’s High Streets were being told by police there was insufficient police manpower available to deal with a spate of high street vandalism & criminal damage to business properties in Cornwall.

 

Lidbury responded through the local press to the police homophobic hate campaign of targeting police resources at gay men.

 

Mch 95: Packet Newspapers Letters 'Hardened Criminals'

Mch 95  Pink Paper 'Pervert Patrols'

Apr 95: ICT front page RE; Devon & Cornwall police anti-gay campaign

 

May 1995: Gay Times Magazine named Lidbury in the 200th celebratory edition as one of the top 200 gay people in Britain for his contribution to gay community, equality & HIV/AIDS campaigning and awareness in Cornwall.

 

Gay Times Magazine 200th edition UK top 200 LGBT people:

 

One memorable fan subscriber to the ICT newsletter a gay man called ‘Charles’ & his life partner David.  Charles was in his 80’s and had contributed written contribution testimony to the 1957 Wolfendon report on decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK.

 

Charles said to Lidbury:

“Remember, we as gay people are only ever one government away from the gas chambers”

 

This comment has never left Lidbury who has encountered gross homophobic protected prejudice from Devon & Cornwall police & from other authorities, including LGBT groups in Cornwall.  The words of 80yr old Charles still ring true today. As without vigilance hard won advances in LGBT equality can be lost or given away by those some now running 'some' LGBT organisations who sellout hard won rights & freedoms for 30 pieces of funding.

 

In 1933 Berlin Germany was the most liberal city in Europe in accepting gay people. By the end of WWII over 10,000+ LGBT person had been sent to Nazi concentration camps. 

 

Lest we forget. Sprocket Trust supported video viewed

NB: WARNING: GRAPHIC WW II WAR CRIME CONTENT: Video  Gay Sex Crime Holocaust

(253,000 views up to Mch 2015)

 

 

NB: 2004: Police Homophobia & ignoring of Hate Crimes against gay persons in Cornwall became a bitter issue from 2004.  Lidbury made a formal complaint against a police officer & became the police target of a voracious homophobically motivated police hate campaign & vendetta.....still on going.