Court 'okays gay murder'
By Pip Hinman
MELBOURNE — Gay rights activists are protesting that a May 28 Supreme Court jury verdict sends a clear message to the community that it is allowable for a man to kill another man who makes sexual advances.
The jury in the murder trial heard that 23-year-old Robert Boyce Murley met 65-year-old Philip Henry Montague, also known as Joe Godfrey, at a Mordialloc Hotel on March 21 last year. They went to Godfrey's flat and after consuming alcohol together, Godfrey made sexual advances.
"In panic", the court was told, Murley punched Godfrey in the face, put a towel around his head and slashed his throat, before setting fire to the flat. The jury also heard from a witness in the case that Murley had proposed talking Godfrey "for a ride" and had asked the witness if he had a knife. Murley, who pleaded self-defence and provocation, was acquitted.
A spokesperson for Gay Men and Lesbians Against Discrimination, Mark Riley, told Brother Sister that the court decision legitimised anti-gay actions. "It's saying it's okay to bash faggots if they're sexually interested in you."
In addition to calling for the judge presiding over the case to be sacked, he said that the Law Reform Commission should investigate how the law could produce such an outcome. Riley also criticised the prosecution for not ensuring that there were gay members included in the jury.
"The decision is absolutely outrageous. It means if someone makes a pass at you, the courts are approving of killing you. What's wrong with a simple 'no thanks'?"