THEGAYUK

Category: News

  • Hate crimes against gay people rockets in the UK

    Hate crimes against gay people rockets in the UK

    Hate crimes against gay and bisexual people in the UK have rocketed by double-digit figures, new statistics show.

    (C) BIGSTOCK

    Twelve percent (11,638 crimes) of recorded hate crimes in England and Wales were directed at gay and bisexual people new figures from the Home Office reveal, a 17 percent increase since last year.

    Two percent of recorded hate crime (1651 crimes) were those against transgender people – up a staggering 32 percent.

    Overall recorded hate crimes were up, with nearly 100,000 crimes reported. Double the amount in just five years. The majority of hate crime (75%, 71,251 crimes) were racially motivated. Religious-based hate crime accounted for 9 percent (8336 crimes) of recorded crimes.

    A report from the Home Office made a suggestion as to why the figures had soared stating, “This increase is thought to be largely driven by improvements in police recording, although there has been spikes in hate crime following certain events such as the EU referendum and the terrorist attacks in 2017,

    “It is thought that the sharp increase in religious hate crimes is due to a rise in these offences following the terrorist attacks in 2017.”

    Worryingly, the number of closed prosecutions dropped by over 2 per cent from 14,480 in 2016/17 to 14,151 in 2017/18.

    Home Secretary Sajid Javid said, “Hate crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity, tolerance and mutual respect – and I am committed to stamping this sickening behaviour out.

    “Our refreshed action plan sets out how we will tackle the root causes of prejudice and racism, support hate crime victims and ensure offenders face the full force of the law”.

    Only a small proportion of crimes get recorded

    The home office report also suggests that only a small proportion of hate crimes against LGBT people are reported. The combined 2015/16 to 2017/18  dataset estimates that there were 30,000 sexual orientation hate crimes per year.

  • Owen Jones calls the Natural History Museum to cancel Saudi Embassy event

    In a tweet, Owen Jones has called upon the Natural History Museum to cancel an event hosted by the Saudi Embassy.

    (C) National History Musemn

    According to Guardian Journalist, Owen Jones, the Saudi Embassy is to hold an event at the Natural History Museum tonight. He called upon the museum to cancel the event saying, “The Saudi dictatorship is massacring thousands in Yemen and is currently accused of kidnapping and murdering a journalist.”

    Saudi Arabia is also one of the countries where being gay can still attract the death penalty for those found guilty.

    The Natural History Museum, which sees 5.2 million people pass through its doors every year, is often used to host charity and gala events in its iconic building in London.

    Amnesty International notes,

    “Women and girls continued to face discrimination in law and practice, despite the government’s promised reforms. Women were required to have permission from a male guardian – their father, husband, brother or son – to enrol in higher education, seek employment, travel or marry. They also remained inadequately protected against sexual and other forms of violence”

    “Courts continued to impose death sentences for a range of crimes, including drug offences or for conduct that under international standards should not be criminalized, such as “sorcery” and “adultery”. Many defendants were sentenced to death after unfair trials by courts that convicted them without adequately investigating allegations of coerced “confessions”, including under torture.”

    Commercial events bring an “important source of external funding”

    Speaking to THEGAYUK.com a spokesperson for the museum said,

    “The Natural History Museum was booked by the Saudi embassy over two months ago as a venue for an external event to celebrate Saudi Arabia Day. No Museum staff are attending as guests or speaking at the event.

    “Enabling commercial events to take place outside of public opening hours in our iconic spaces brings the Museum an important source of external funding, which allows us to maintain our position as a world class scientific research centre and visitor attraction. We hold a wide variety of commercial events and it is made clear to any host that doing so is not an endorsement of their product, service or views.

    “We have an Ethics Policy and a Third Party Engagement Policy. These policies are publicly available on the Museum’s website.”

  • This photographer agency just refused service to “gay-cake” bakers

    This photographer agency just refused service to “gay-cake” bakers

    “We appreciate that this looks like tit for tat, and it is”

    (C) PERFOCAL

    Perfocal, a photographer booking agency just refused service to the Ashers Bakery following on from the UK Supreme Court ruling yesterday which said that the bakery had not discriminated against a customer because of his sexuality, but because of the political message, he had asked the cake, “Support Gay Marriage” to be emblazoned with.

    Perfocal enables members of the public to book photographers in major UK cities is, after learning of the details of a job they were booked for, refusing to share the photographs taken with The Christian Institute, a charity and lobby group supporting the owners of a Northern Irish bakery at the centre of a discrimination row.

    The Christian owners of a Northern Ireland bakery won their appeal at the Supreme Court yesterday after refusing to make a cake with the slogan ‘Support Gay Marriage’. The dispute began in 2014, after the customer, gay rights activist Gareth Lee, sued the company for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and political beliefs after the bakery had already accepted payment for the order.

    Charity and lobby group The Christian Institute, paying the legal fees for the family that owned the bakery, used a photographer booking website to capture the moments before and after the case was heard. With estimated legal fees of £450,000 between both parties, the £36.50 cake has been described as ‘the most expensive cake in UK history’.

    Private companies can accept bookings and then cancel if it offends their sensibilities.

    The founder of the photographer booking website, Perfocal.com, has said in a statement on the company’s blog that the photographer booked on the day has been paid in full for their time by Perfocal, and the Christian Institute has been refunded. The Christian Institute paid for a 3-hour photography session, photo edit, all photos and extra for a 24-hour turnaround as opposed to the company’s usual 48-hour service. The statement made is within that 24-hour period, and the customer has been contacted.

    The statement, including details of the £239 (+ £28 for rush delivery) booking, can be read here

    In a statement, Tony Xu, the founder of the photographer booking site Perfocal.com said,

    “It’s been accepted in the highest court in the UK that private companies can accept bookings and then, if they feel that it goes against their morals, refuse that booking if it offends their sensibilities and it not be counted as discriminatory.

    “We appreciate that this looks like tit for tat, and it is. We had no idea what the case was when the booking was made – we simply see the basic information, date, time, location. When our photographer on the ground learned what it was while doing the job, they felt immediately uncomfortable with the situation, as many members of the public are, but remained professional. As soon as I found out though, I realised this was an opportunity to highlight exactly why this kind of result is damaging. This isn’t just about standing up against discrimination, I hope our stance serves as an example of exactly where this kind of judgement could lead us. Where does it end?”

    In the blog statement, Xu highlighted that the company is ‘proud to have been booked for many religious ceremonies’, including Christian, Jewish and Muslim celebrations and same-sex weddings, including high-profile individuals, and that they welcome customers from all backgrounds.

  • Gay Marriage laws still not equal in England and Wales

    Gay Marriage laws still not equal in England and Wales

    The law concerning same-sex marriage and divorce in England and Wales still isn’t equal as statistics show same-sex divorce is on the rise.

    gay men getting married
    CREDIT: dolgachov bigstock

    Same-sex marriage may only have been legal for four years but divorces have taken a sharp increase, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics released this month. James Perrett dives into the data and chats to three law firms to find out what we know so far.

    There’s a little-documented fact about divorce that may come as a surprise to the LGBTQ+ community. Despite same-sex marriages being introduced into law in England and Wales in 2014, adultery cannot be used as grounds for divorce of a same-sex couple because the law defines adultery as “sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex.”

    The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of divorces between same-sex couples in England and Wales last year was 338, more than three times the number in 2016 which was 112.

    “Adultery” doesn’t legally count for same-sex divorce

    Unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason that same-sex couples gave for divorcing, accounting for 83% of divorces among women and 73% among men. But how many of those divorces cited unreasonable behaviour because adultery was not an option?

    Helen Habershon, senior associate at Barlow Robbins in Woking, told me it may not be that simple.

    “A key fault in the system is that not only can you not petition for your own adultery, you also have to get the person who committed adultery to admit it.

    “They don’t have to name who the other person is, but they do have to admit it on the form that the court sends them.

    “Many times, if there’s any worry or risk that the other person won’t admit the adultery, I always advise that they proceed on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

    “So, although in a same-sex marriage they can’t use adultery as a reason, I’m not sure how significant that actually is.

    “Because of everything that has to go with adultery, you’re invariably in some way or another going to submit an unreasonable behaviour petition.”

    But she added: “It is ridiculous that it’s limited to what the law says, in that it must be intercourse with the opposite sex, because it’s still the affair, the lack of intimacy, the breach of trust.”

    When you petition for divorce, you’re required to prove your marriage has suffered an irretrievable breakdown and then give one of the following reasons: adultery (in heterosexual marriages); unreasonable behaviour; desertion; separation of two years without consent or separation of five years, for which no consent is required. You also have to have been married for more than one year before petitioning for divorce.

    According to the ONS statistics, the average (median) number of years of a same-sex marriage before divorce in 2017 was 3.5 years for men and 2.8 years for women.

    “It could be that some people have been together a long time and they get married so that they can have children.” Helen suggested. “Things like IVF and adoption can put a strain on a relationship.”

    “Law is based on 1973 legislation”

    But for Zahra Pabani, partner and family law expert at Shakespeare Martineau, the current law isn’t just discriminatory to same-sex relationships.

    “I would say it’s as frustrating for heterosexual couples as it is for homosexual couples,” she said. “Our law is based on 1973 legislation, it has not moved with the times for same-sex or opposite-sex couples.

    “It’s frustrating for everybody, not just the gay community – maybe more so because they can never claim for adultery but it’s frustrating for everybody.”

    She added that the high numbers for same-sex divorce may be down to the excitement around the law finally coming to pass, after many years of hard campaigning.

    “Everybody got terribly excited that they could get married,” she said. “So I think sometimes the relationship might not have been great but you try to salvage it by getting married.

    “I see that in opposite-sex couples who have been living together for a really long time then try to refresh the relationship by getting married and the relationship breaks down quickly. It doesn’t matter what sexual orientation you are, lots of people do that.

    “There was a flurry of gay marriage but it wasn’t always for the right reasons, not because they’re gay; everybody does it.”

    Gay parents can have added discrimination

    © DGLimages Depositphotos

    Where the law is discriminatory, she argues, is when it comes to single people trying to become a parent.

    “It’s much harder to apply for a parental order if you’re single, gay or straight,” she said. “As a woman, you could try to get yourself pregnant but if you’re a man and you do it by getting a friend pregnant it’s much, much harder for you because the law will always favour the person carrying the child.

    “Even harder if you were a gay woman who couldn’t carry a baby so you used a surrogate, because you’re not the person carrying it.”

    Zahra is a Resolution lawyer, part of a body that advocates a non-confrontational approach to divorce, and said people petitioning for divorce should first try to reach a settlement out-of-court, either directly through their partner, or through a good solicitor.

    *Divorce statistics from ONS are derived from information recorded by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service during the divorce process

  • UK Supreme Courts rules that “gay cake” bakery did not discriminate on the basis of sexuality

    The UK’s highest court has ruled that Ashers Bakery did not discriminate against a customer because of his sexuality.

    gay cake, wedding,
    (C) Londondeposit Depositphoto

    Speaking on the ruling President Lady Brenda Hale said, “It is deeply humiliating, and an affront to human dignity, to deny someone a service because of that person’s race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or any of the other protected personal characteristics, but that is not what happened in this case.”

    “The bakers did not refuse to fulfil his order because of his sexual orientation. They would have refused to make such a cake for any customer, irrespective of their sexual orientation.”

    “The bakers could not refuse to supply their goods to Mr Lee because he was a gay man or supported gay marriage but that is quite different from obliging them to supply a cake iced with a message with which they profoundly disagreed.”

    Baroness Hale once called for a “conscience clause” for Christians who have anti-gay beliefs during a trial of anti-gay B&B owners, Peter and Hazelmary Bull.

    First, they lost, but appeal after appeal, finally success for Ashers Bakery

    The Asher’s Bakery row has rolled on since 2014 when the Christian run Ashers Baking Co. in Northern Ireland refused to make a pro-gay marriage cake, which featured a slogan “Support Gay Marriage – Queer Space Born 1998” with a picture of Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert, because it says it clashed with the ethos of their company, saying,

    ‘We thought that this order was at odds with our beliefs, certainly was in contradiction with what the Bible teaches.’

    Queer Space is an organisation, which seeks to increase the visibility of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Community in a positive manner to counteract the disregard, and negative images presented to the general public.

    “Discrimination Clash”

    Rhian Radia is a leading lawyer who specialises in discrimination cases, and a Director at Vardags. She said today, “A judgment of the Supreme Court today has found that a bakery in Northern Ireland did not discriminate against a gay man by refusing to bake him a cake with a message supporting gay marriage.

    “The bakers oppose the introduction of gay marriage on religious grounds. The Supreme Court’s decision found that the refusal to bake the cake was because of the message on the cake rather than the sexual orientation of the customer or his association with Queerspace, a volunteer-led organisation for the LGBT community. Sexual orientation and support of gay marriage were viewed to be two separate things. The judges decided that people of all sexual orientations can and do support gay marriage.

    “The judgment is being touted as a victory for free speech by those who believe that the bakers should not have been forced to bake a case with a message they disagreed with.

    “This is the latest in a line of employment law cases where types of protection from discrimination clash with each other, in this case religious belief and sexual orientation and political belief. But is baking a cake as part of providing a service to a customer really about free speech where the rights of a business beat those of an individual?”

    Time Line:

    JULY 2014: Gareth Lee reports that Ashers Bakery refused to bake him a gay which said “Support Gay Marriage”. The Christian Institute provided the bakery with legal support.

    MAY 2015: A UK court found in 2015 that Ashers Bakery had been unlawful in refusing to bake a cake for Gareth Lee. The bakery owners were ordered to pay £500 in damages.

    JUNE 2015: The bakery announces its outline for appeal

    OCTOBER 2016: Ashers loses it appeal at the Court of Appeal, which upheld the original judgement that the bakers had acted unlawfully.

    NOVEMBER 2016: Ashers announce it is to appeal again

    OCTOBER 2018: Ashers wins its case in the UK Supreme Court

     

    The McArthurs, who own the company, have insisted that the issue was never with Mr Lee’s sexuality, but with the message that he had requested on the cake.

     

     

     

  • PETER TATCHELL: Ashers “gay cake” verdict is a victory

    Leading human rights activist has said that verdict that the Ashers Bakery did not discriminate in refusing to make a “gay cake” is a victory for freedom of expression.

    Cake, Gay Marriage, gay wedding
    CREDIT: © ivonnewierink Depositphotos

    Peter Tatchell has described the act of same-sex marriage as a “political idea” and that no business should be forced to produce a product that they have a ‘conscientious objection” to. He stated that the verdict that the Ashers Bakery did not discriminate in refusing to honour an hour for a cake which had “Although I profoundly disagree with Asher’s opposition to marriage equality, in a free society neither they nor anyone else should be forced to facilitate a political idea that they oppose”.

    He added, “Businesses can now lawfully refuse a customer’s request to emblazon a political message if they have a conscientious objection to it. This includes the right to refuse messages that are sexist, xenophobic or anti-gay, which is a good thing”.

    Appeal after appeal

    The Asher’s Bakery row has rolled on since 2014 when the Christian run Ashers Baking Co. in Northern Ireland refused to make a pro-gay marriage cake, which featured a slogan “Support Gay Marriage – Queer Space Born 1998” with a picture of Sesame Street characters Ernie and Bert, because it says it clashed with the ethos of their company, saying,

    ‘We thought that this order was at odds with our beliefs, certainly was in contradiction with what the Bible teaches.’

    Queer Space is an organisation, which seeks to increase the visibility of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered (LGBT) Community in a positive manner to counteract the disregard, and negative images presented to the general public.

    They didn’t discriminate because the customer was gay…

    Tatchell continued, “Ashers did not discriminate against the customer, Gareth Lee, because he was gay. They objected to the message he wanted on the cake: ‘Support gay marriage.’

    “Discrimination against LGBT people is wrong. But in a free society, people should be able to discriminate against ideas that they disagree with. I am glad the court upheld this important liberal principle.

    “If the original judgement against Ashers had been upheld it would have meant that a Muslim printer could be obliged to publish cartoons of Mohammed and a Jewish printer could be forced to publish a book that propagates Holocaust denial. It could have also encouraged far right extremists to demand that bakers and other service providers facilitate the promotion of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim opinions.

    “That would have set a dangerous, authoritarian precedent that could have been open to serious abuse.

    “Discrimination against people should be illegal but not discrimination against ideas and opinions,” said Mr Tatchell.

  • Facebook bans body positive Naked Rugby Calendar Photographer

    Facebook bans body positive Naked Rugby Calendar Photographer

    The photographer of The Naked Rugby Players calendar has been booted off Facebook for posting a promo picture from the calendar.

    The world’s largest social network Facebook has kicked off the photographer of the Naked Rugby Players charity calendar, despite no genitalia being shown. The calendar, which celebrates inclusive rugby, body positivity and raises money for cancer charity, Balls To Cancer, is due for official launch towards the end of September.

    The calendar which is now on sale features six inclusive rugby teams across the UK and includes 71 gay, bi, straight and trans men from all over the UK, who took their kit off to raise money and awareness for male cancers and inclusive rugby.

    However, after sharing one of the promo pictures, the calendar’s very own photographer Monty McKinnen was booted off the Facebook platform for seven days.

    The ban comes just a few weeks after another body positive magazine found itself falling foul of Facebook-owned Instagram’s “puritanical” community guidelines.

    Taking to Twitter the official account for the Naked Rugby Players wrote, “Our photographer @MontyMcKinnen has been booted from #Facebook AGAIN for showing off some of The #NakedRugby Players assets whilst promoting #BodyPositivity and supporting @Ballstocancer – Best to follow him and us here to keep up to date on our picture releases!”

     

    To view the “offending” image CLICK HERE (NSFW)

  • LGBT activism group ACT UP changes “traumatic” AIDs posters

    LGBT activism group ACT UP changes “traumatic” AIDs posters

    If you’ve been around Soho or South London recently you may have seen a  multi-colour poster which states “I’m Too Sexy To Have AIDs”, activist group, ACT UP LONDON have defaced the posters to read something different.

    (SUPPLIED BY ACT UP)

    Members of ACT UP LONDON have taken it upon themselves to change bill-posters designed by the late David McDiarmid and exhibited by Studio Voltaire because of the emotional trauma they may cause some people. The poster, is a multicoloured artwork which reads, I’m Too Sexy To Have AIDs”. According to Studio Voltaire, McDiarmid “produced these works in response to his own, and his community’s, experience of the AIDS crisis, and the multiple forms of devastations it manifests –political, emotional, intellectual and medical”.

    McDiarmid died in 1995 from complications brought on by AIDs.

    However some members of ACT UP LONDON have taken to defacing some of the posters because the message “isn’t helpful to the battles people living with HIV fight today”.

    Cé from ACT UP LONDON explained, “Firstly, I would like to say that the main thrust of the action was never intended to censor the artist or to silence queer voices. Expanding on this, it’s important to point out that although the artwork may have been targeted at those that understand where this it comes from and why it exists, in its current state it is used out of context and isn’t helpful to the battles PLHIV fight today. The use of this piece of art taken so out of context not only takes us backwards in a fight that we are already struggling to win, but it also contributes to the stigma surrounding HIV. On the back of this it has the potential to be traumatic for those living with HIV, particularly for those with new diagnoses and especially for those who don’t have sufficient support networks to speak through the emotions conjured by the text in the artwork.”

    (SUPPLIED BY ACT UP)

    Dani Singer from ACT UP LONDON said “We are incredibly supportive of Studio Voltaire and their decision to curate an exhibition of David McDiarmid’s work – as the second silence of HIV rages on, the more voices speaking out representing those affected by HIV and AIDS, the better. We see this action as a collaboration between ACT UP London and McDiarmid, in keeping with the strong tradition of ACT UP working with radical Queer artists throughout its existence to widen its message of ending the HIV pandemic, stigma, and pharmaceutical greed.

    In a statement to THEGAYUK.com ACT UP London said, that the exhibition was counterproductive, with no supporting literature or context.

    Explaining the works, Studio Voltaire explains on their website that they are displaying, “series of public works” which will be shown intermittently across sites in Clapham and Brixton, in partnership with This is Clapham and Art on the Underground. Studio Voltaire say that they will over the course of a year, publish artworks at various locations including neighbouring LGBTQ+ venue Two Brewers, the façade of Studio Voltaire, Brixton Underground station, and other temporary locations.

    David McDiarmid (1952–1995) was an Australian artist, designer and activist, recognised for his prominent and sustained artistic engagement in issues relating to LGBT+ identity and history. Rainbow Aphorisms are a series of printed multiples, produced from 1993 until the artist’s death in 1995 of AIDS–related illnesses. McDiarmid produced these works in response to his own, and his community’s, experience of the AIDS crisis, and the multiple forms of devastations it manifests –political, emotional, intellectual and medical.

    Siobhan Fahey from Rebel Dykes Film said, “The poster I’m Too Sexy to Have AIDS worried me, and I took my concerns to the gallery. When David was making art, in the 1990s, ironic art was much in vogue. It was powerful. But in today’s climate, with Trump and Brexit, we are almost post-irony. Statements like this need careful contextualisation. I support the aim of ACT-UP in repurposing these posters in a way I am sure that David McDiarmid would approve.”

  • Three assaulted in homophobic attack in London

    Three assaulted in homophobic attack in London

    One of the three victims was left with injuries that required hospitalisation.

    (C) MET POLICE

    Cops in London are seeking information that can lead to the identification of two men they wish to speak to in connection with a brutal homophobic assault on three men in their early twenties in North London.

    The attack in Wood Green happened on the 4th October at around 4:30 AM. Haringey police were called to Station Road near the junction with High Road, N22, where three men aged in their 20s had been assaulted by two suspects, according to a police report.

    In a statement from the Met Police, one of the men attacked required hospital treatment, but he was subsequently discharged.

    Detectives from Haringey are investigating. They are releasing images showing two men they wish to trace in connection with the incident. One of the men is seen in both images, the second man is only seen from the back in one of the images.

    There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

    Anyone who knows the identity of either of the men, or has information that may assist the investigation, is asked to call detectives in the Haringey Community Safety Unit via 101 quoting CAD 969/oct04.

    To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

  • Former gay porn star dies,21

    Former gay porn star dies,21

    A former gay porn star has died at the age of 21.

    Kyle Dean, a model for the Corbin Fisher and GayHoopla studios has died at the age of 21. He had appeared in over dozens of films for the studios during his time acting as a porn star.

    The cause of his death has not been determined however his death has been recorded by the Florida funeral home, Toale Brothers.

    On the 30th September a tweet allegedly sent by Dean’s roommate, Jefry pleaded to fan to help out with funeral costs saying, “you guys may know, in the early hours on [sic] yesterday (name real name removed) sadly passed away in a struggle to survive I’ve spent the last days mourning and trying to gather up fees for his funeral. Please donate as much as you can”

    Some of the comments under the Tweet have suggested that the call for funds was a scam by someone who has access to the star’s Twitter account.  The link on the GoFundMe site is no longer active.

    Dean died on the 28th September. His death could not be confirmed by sources as tweets sent on Dean’s account gave the impression that he was still alive.

    His obituary reads (identifying information redacted), “He loved to play football and physically train his body.

    (He) is survived by his parents, his half-siblings. He also leaves his grandparents. A “Celebration of Life” ceremony is being handled at the Toale Brothers Funeral Home”.

    However, his death has now been confirmed by Str8UpGayPorn.com.

    Aside from his appearances in porn Dean had been arrested numerous times on drug and burglary charges.

  • Man who tricked four straight men to have sex with him convicted

    Man who tricked four straight men to have sex with him convicted

    A man who tricked four men into having sex with him in the mistaken belief that he was a female has been convicted.

    Duarte Xavier, 34 (11.11.84), of Wandsworth, was convicted at Kingston Crown Court on Friday, 5 October of six counts of causing a male aged 13 or over to engage in penetrative sexual activity.

    He had pleaded not guilty at an earlier hearing at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, 16 May. He has been remanded in custody to be sentenced at the same court on Friday, 9 November.

    The court heard that Xavier was a liar and fantasist who carried out his crimes over several years. He would use online dating websites to masquerade as a female named ‘Ana’, entering into conversations and sending provocative pictures to heterosexual men, who were fooled by his online persona into meeting for sex.

    When they agreed to meet for sex ‘Ana’ would set a series of conditions, including that the victim must wear a blindfold for the duration of the encounter and were not allowed to touch in return.

    Communication through a dating app

    On the first reported incident on 17 February 2016, a 45-year-old victim had been communicating with ‘Ana’ through a dating app and arranged to meet at ‘Ana’s’ flat.

    Rules had been set prior to the victim’s arrival so that both apparently knew what would happen; ‘Ana’ told the victim that he would not see her throughout their encounter.

    Upon arrival at an address in Wandsworth, the victim followed the instructions and found a blindfold in the bedroom.

    He heard ‘Ana’ call his name and put the blindfold on. The pair began having sex when the victim realised something was wrong and removed the blindfold when he saw Xavier.

    The victim was enraged and immediately left the address. Xavier sent a message to the victim afterwards saying ‘I got a mental health problem, sorry’. The victim ordered Xavier to delete all record of their communication, to which he replied that he already had.

    Female ‘looking for a bit of fun’.

    On 15 October 2017, a 29-year-old male messaged ‘Ana’ via a dating app and received a response that ‘she’ was a recently single female ‘looking for a bit of fun’.

    The pair talked over WhatsApp, exchanging pictures and even a video call; the victim had no reason to suspect that he was not speaking to a woman.

    They arranged to meet for sex the same day at a flat in Hardwick Square, Wandsworth. Again, the victim arrived at the location and put on a blindfold, as ‘Ana’ had asked.

    He heard what he thought was a female voice saying ‘stay there, don’t take off and don’t move the mask’. A person then approached from behind and tied the blindfold tighter.

    He was led blindfolded into another room where ‘Ana’ began to perform a sexual act. The victim took off the blindfold and saw Xavier.

    He left in disgust immediately having been in the property for minutes.

    Xavier began sending messages to the victim, apologising and saying there must have been a misunderstanding, but continued to message requesting oral sex.

    The victim reported the incident to police and Xavier was arrested on 16 October 2017 on suspicion of causing sexual activity with a person without consent. He was released under investigation.

    A number of mobile phones and masks were also seized.

    Victim had pillowcase stuffed over his head

    The third incident took place on Wednesday, 4 April 2018. The victim, a 26-year-old man, had been looking for sexual relations with females on a website when he received a message from ‘Ana’, advertising herself as a 35-year-old woman.

    The pair arranged a video call via WhatsApp, where ‘Ana’ stated that she had to conceal her identity so as to avoid getting caught because she was married.

    The pair arranged to meet at ‘Ana’s’ address, which was in darkness when the victim arrived. He said ‘hello’ and was instructed to close the door and come upstairs.

    As the victim went upstairs, he felt a person grab him and pull his trousers down. An item, believed to be a pillowcase, was put over his head.

    He asked to see that the person he had been communicating with was actually female, to which ‘Ana’ said ‘no’ and began performing a sexual act. The victim used the light from his mobile phone and discovered that it was Xavier.

    The victim was horrified and said he would tell police, to which Xavier responded ‘good, I will too’. The victim went outside and called police; Xavier was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault and later charged with two counts of causing a male aged 13 or over in a penetrative sexual activity and sexual assault.

    He was remanded and later bailed at Wimbledon Magistrates Court.

    “Roleplay experience”

    The fourth victim was identified by police after reviewing phone records from seized mobile phones.

    The victim in this incident, a 29-year-old man, had been too embarrassed and ashamed to tell anyone.

    On 5 December year 2016 the victim and ‘Ana’ began engaging with each other over a dating website. ‘Ana’ explained that she was looking for a ‘roleplay’ experience where the victim would be blindfolded.

    Both parties exchanged pictures and videos and agreed to meet at ‘Ana’s’ address before she claimed her landlady would be home and they must meet elsewhere.

    ‘Ana’ told the victim they would meet in a park around 19:00hrs. The victim obliged and the following day he went to King George’s Park in Wandsworth as ordered by ‘Ana’. The victim had trouble finding the meeting place and called ‘Ana’; again he had no reason to suspect he was not talking to a female, commenting in later interviews to police that ‘Ana’ sounded like a foreign woman.

    He went to the agreed spot, a secluded area, when ‘Ana’ arrived and performed a sexual act on him before they had sex. ‘Ana’ then left and the victim was left entirely unaware that he had had sex with Xavier.

    WhatsApp records of conversations between the pair revealed that the victim had not realized what had happened and at no point did Xavier reveal his true identity.

    As a result, the pair arranged to meet again a few days later, on the same terms and same place. This time the victim held off on putting on the blindfold, curious as to who he was meeting.

    When Xavier approached, the pair saw each other and Xavier tried to hide. When the victim asked what he was doing, Xavier claimed to have believed that the victim was bisexual and approved of the arrangement.

    The victim was distraught by the revelation; Xavier offered to pay his cab fare home, to which the victim said no and that he did not want to be contacted by him ever again.

    “Crimes are unique in their depravity”

    Detective Constable Lucy Marsh, of Wandsworth police, said, “The crimes Xavier committed are unique in their depravity; all of the victims had no reason to believe that they were not engaging with a woman and all have stated unequivocally that they would never have given their consent to sexual relations with another man.

    “Xavier has demonstrated extreme manipulation and cunning in order to satisfy his own sexual gratification, setting bizarre conditions that the victims adhered to in the belief that they were part of the experience.

    “He is a sexual predator and I hope the victims, all of whom were traumatised by their experiences, will now feel that they have achieved some justice. I thank them for their bravery not only in telling us of their ordeals, but in facing difficult and challenging questions throughout the judicial process.

    “We are also entirely aware that there may be other potential victims of Xavier who, so far, have also felt too ashamed to speak to police. I would ask those people to come forward, to tell us, and we will treat you with the utmost sensitivity and in the strictest of confidence.”