After a judge called him out for “living in the Stone Ages,” the father of two who branded a lesbian police officer a “tattooed fat d***” was found guilty of the hate crime.
On April 12, PC Shelley Quince-Black assisted in the arrest of Louis Risley, 43, for loitering in another person’s garden. During the course of the arrest, PC Shelley was verbally abused by Louis Risley over her sexuality.
When PC Quince-Black returned to the police station and repeated the homophobic slur to a senior colleague while giving Risley’s information, the suspect from Warrington, Cheshire, responded: “Well you are though, aren’t you?”
The same-sex married Cheshire Police officer was reportedly “caught aback” by the comment and felt “disrespected” by it.
She stated: “I felt that he had no care as to how it would affect me,” in a statement. He casually uttered it as if he were accustomed to doing so.
“I don’t go to work expecting to be victimized.” I don’t believe that language should be used in a public setting.
Risley was fined £150, plus costs and a victim surcharge, at Warrington Magistrates Court after entering a guilty plea to using threatening, insulting, or abusive language or behavior to harass, frighten, or distress anyone.
“We are not living in the Stone Ages when people felt free to abuse others based on their presumed sexuality, color, or whatever else,” district judge Nicholas Sanders said to him.
“It would have been okay 40 or 50 years ago, but not anymore.” You must control your behavior since something like this offends people in many ways than only with words.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Ms. Angela Blackmore, called the act a “homophobic hate offence.” She claimed that at 11:15 p.m. on April 12, police were summoned to a residence in Warrington.
He did leave the property, but he was still in the neighborhood, according to Ms. Blackmore.
The occupant was alleged to have wanted the defendant to leave the address.
The defendant was eventually discovered by the authorities in the property’s back garden a short while afterwards.
After being detained, he started cursing at the police, specifically PC Quince-Black. He seemed to be drunk as he was ranting.
He was detained, it was said. He refers to PC Quince-Black as “a tattooed fat d***” when they are in custody; he seemed to find it hilarious and grinned.
The policewoman claimed that she was surprised. She felt personally assaulted and considered the remarks insulting, disrespectful, and homophobic.
The defendant allegedly added, “You are however, aren’t you?” after PC Quince-Black informed the detention sergeant that Risley had called her a “tattooed fat d***,” according to Mrs. Blackmore.
The prosecutor stated, “She felt disrespected by the defendant’s behavior.”
Risley’s criminal history included 32 prior offenses for drugs, driving, dishonesty, and assault from 1994 to 2018. Driving and assault offenses were his most recent infractions.
The prosecutor requested restitution and said that the offense’s homophobic nature required a “uplift” in the sentence. She also urged the judge to consider how much more severe the offense was given that the victim was an emergency worker.
Gary Heaven, Risley’s attorney, offered the following explanation in mitigation: “My client has not been in trouble for four years and he has started to gain some insight following this matter.”
I’m sorry, it was out of character, Risley stated as he walked away from the dock. There was no request for payment.