Westcountry Criminal Hate Crimes figures 2009 (Cornwall)

Westcountry Criminal Hate Crimes figures 2009 (Cornwall)

THE percentage of convictions for hate crime in the Westcountry has risen, according to figures released by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The report covering 2008/09 details the number of successful convictions for attacks motivated by racism, religious bigotry, homophobia and dislike of a disability.

Figures for the previous period 2007/08 also included convictions for domestic violence, which stopped being classed as a hate crime by the CPS in April 2008.

By not including domestic violence numbers in the 2008/09 report, figures now show the number of prosecutions brought before the courts for hate crimes to be falling, although percentages for conviction are going up.

Overall hate crime prosecutions in 2008/09 in Devon and Cornwall totaled 139 - 106 (76.3 per cent) were successful, 33 (23.7 per cent) failed.

In 2007/08, there were 1,443 court cases – 998 (69.2 per cent) successful, 445 (30.8 per cent) failing. Hate crime breaks down into three categories – racial and religious, homophobic and disability.

Homophobic cases in Devon and Cornwall in 2008/09 totaled 15 prosecutions – 14 (93.3 per cent) were won while one (6.7 per cent) was lost.

If the known & reported homophobic incidents involving Cornwall police officers who had committed & contributed to abuses against gay people had been included, this conviction figure would more than have doubled. Homophobic Cornwall police are bullet proof & above the law

2007/08 showed 33 prosecutions – 27 (81.8 per cent) won and six (18.2 per cent) were lost.

Figures show a drop of 55 per cent – or 18 – fewer cases brought.

Tracy Easton, chief Crown prosecutor for Devon and Cornwall, said: "This report shows how seriously we take all types of hate crimes.
"Being targeted because of your race, religion, sexuality or disability is a profoundly isolating experience and one we will prosecute wherever possible.
"We are doing a lot of really good work – particularly at a local level with the Hate Crime Scrutiny Panels, but there is still more to do, such as improving our service to victims and witnesses to increase their confidence in the system and to ensure our communities feel properly protected."

Malcolm Lidbury (aka Pink Pasty) a gay Equality & HIV/AIDS campaigner for over 20 years in Cornwall, says “ that’s crap, absolute twaddle”, the authorities in Cornwall, the CPS, Police, Police Authority & IPCC are still choosing to completely ‘blind eye’ and disregard case after case of reported homophobic incidents carried out by and which involve named & identified Cornwall police officers. (See list below of known Cornwall police officers who have contributed to homophobic abuse & trauma of gay victims of Homophobia)

There is a culture of corruption & collusion within the authorities of Cornwall to cover up institutional homophobia and it stinks!

It took Ofsted to eventually condemn Cornwall’s Children’s Services in a damning report in 2009. This forced the resignation of Dean Ashton, head of Cornwall Social Services (a homophobe known to Mr Lidbury). Mr Ashton had point blank refused to assist a homeless 15yr old gay youth living rough on the streets of Helston to the knowledge & failure of ‘duty of care’ of multiple agencies in Cornwall in 2005.

“Well we are well shot of that evil homophobic bast*rd now” said Mr Lidbury, who has himself been repeatedly targeted by homophobes in the Cornwall police & Cornwall Social Services, when raising awareness of the youths plight.

Mr Lidbury had campaigned relentlessly regarding institutional homophobia rife within Cornwall County Council Social Services, Youth Services & Education Services, and their failure of ‘Duty of Care’ and corrupt suppression of evidence from Court proceedings. “Homophobe Cornwall police officers like DC Magnus Scott of Camborne & DC Bob Woods (retired), along with some of their dishonest police chums have much to answer for their homophobia, police dishonesty & corruption”. said Mr Lidbury

“There are still plenty of protected homophobic scum who have been named and identified in the Cornwall police force, these homophobes (and probable racists too) are protected by the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary, but we will get rid of them eventually, it will just take time” said Mr Lidbury

“Although, tragically, I have no doubt that the homophobic Cornwall police will drive a few more gay men to commit suicide in Cornwall in the mean time. The majority of Cornwall police I have personally encountered, which is dozens, hold homophobic views, attitudes & practices which would make the Neo-Nazi BNP proud of the Cornwall police” he added.

Mr Lidbury himself having been driven by homophobic conduct of named & identified Cornwall police to attempt to take his own life following what police have now acknowledged in writing was a serious FALSE allegation made against him. However Cornwall police have point blank refused to investigate the homophobic conduct of named Cornwall police officers involved.

There were four known Gay Male suicides in Cornwall in 2008 and several other attempted suicides, some with identified direct Cornwall police involvement. The Coroner at the inquest of one Cornwall Gay suicide in Nov 2009 has instructed there should be an urgent review of Cornwall services.

Mr Lidbury does not suggest anyone holding their breath at a positive outcome.
“The majority of Cornwall’s authorities are so riddled with homophobic attitudes & practices that they are in complete denial as to the consequence of their prejudice & discrimination towards gay victims of their homophobia. Chief Constable Stephen Otter being one of them, who religiously protects the homophobes in his police force”.

"A rise in reported convictions for homophobic Hate Crime in the South West is more likely to be an accident than by any good judicial proceedings or improvement in attitudes within the judicial system towards gay victims of hate crime…I know personally as a multiple victim of Cornwall police instigated hate crime"!

Mr Lidbury as a gay man has personally been a victim of homophobic motivated violent assault, death threats, hate mail, internet abuse, criminal damage to his property, theft, attempted extortion, his businesses destroyed by homophobic Cornwall police misconduct,…which the Cornwall police have instigated & done nothing about and with not a Cornwall police diversity officer in sight!

NB:- This blog was started specifically due to direct contribution by multiple homophobic harassment, attitudes & practises, failure of 'duty of care', misconduct & or contribution to police criminality & abuse of power in abusing gay persons as contributed too by ALL of the following Devon & Cornwall Constabulary police officers to my factual knowledge & experience

....DC WOODS (retired)
DC SCOTT (Camborne)
DC ANNING (Camborne)
DC CROWE (Camborne)
DC PARKER (& his DS at Camborne)
DS BECKERLEGGE (Camborne)
PC TAR & accomplice (Black Female Police colleague) (Camborne)
PC FULLER (Helston)
PC TRELOAR (Helston)
PC ALEXANDER & Police Colleague,
PC PIPER (Diversity Officer)
PC CANNON (Diversity officer)
Sgt. ROWE (Helston)
Inspector BOLT (Camborne)
Inspector EASTERN (Professional Standards Unit),
Various Custody officers from Camborne Police Station 2004,
Three Helston Police Officers on duty evening Flora Day Helston 2006,
Former Chief Constable Maria Wallis
Former Acting Chief Constable Nigel Arnold
Chief Constable Stephen Otter.

...This is NOT the complete list of violating & abusive Devon & Cornwall Police officers or employees I know personally and factually to be responsible for contribution to continued abuse & adverse affect upon gay persons in Cornwall.

Until the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary address these issues of police homophobic conduct by known, identified, named &/or identifiable homophobic police scum, I will continue to Blog their names on the internet.

Police = They ARE the abusive Homophobic Hate Crime problem STILL in Cornwall 2009...and will continue to be in 2010