September 21, 2007
Say Aussie Cops Turn Blind Eye to Gay-Bashing
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From the Sydney Star Observer:
Police Accused of Ignoring Violence
A victim of homophobic violence claims a police officer tried to convince him not to file a report.
Jean Pierre Cheaib was leaving a Taylor Square nightclub about 10am 19 August when two men called him a “stupid poof”, told him he was “going to die” and hit him in the jaw.
. . .
“The officer told me how stressful the court process would be and said, ‘Do you realise that nine out of 10 gay men don’t report incidents because they are afraid?’” Cheaib said.
“I said I wanted to press charges anyway, and they said, ‘The men are only going to get off free.’”
. . .
Two days later, Cheaib reported the incident to the coordinator of ACON’s Lesbian and Gay Anti-Violence Project, Carl Harris, who spoke to police about their handling of the confrontation.
Cheaib later received a phone call from the officer he had spoken to after the assault. The officer allegedly told Cheaib the matter would be “thrown out of court anyway”.
Permalink | Trackback | Filed under: Australia/NZ, Hate Crimes, Law Enforcement
