The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Pensioner sent ‘hateful email’ to Pride leader
A pensioner has been found guilty of sending the organiser of Grampian Pride an email asking why he was pushing his “sexuality perversions into everybody’s face”.
Thomas Owenson wrote the abusive communication to Deejay Bullock after becoming aggravated a rainbow flag was to be flown above council headquarters to celebrate LGBT History Month.
Owenson – raised according to “strict Christian beliefs” – strongly denied the email was homophobic or there was any malice when he asked Mr Bullock: “Why can’t you be like normal people?”
The 73-year-old appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court facing a charge of sexually aggravated threatening and abusive behaviour.
The court was told on March 23 last year he wrote to Mr Bullock saying: “Please advise me what makes you and people of your various sexual persuasions always want to be in the limelight pushing your sexuality perversions into everybody’s face?
“Why can’t you be like normal people and just get in with your life without making other people’s lives a misery by going on about your affronted behaviours?”
He signed it “Regards, Thomas Owenson.”
Giving evidence, Mr Bullock – also CEO of LGBT charity Four Pillars – said: “It said that we needed to be normal. I do what I do because I care for our community, so this made me angry.
“It was a hateful email.” Owenson told police in October last year: “As far as I am concerned it’s not offensive or homophobic. I just asked a question.”
He claimed it was a story in the Evening Express about the rainbow flag being flown over council headquarters that prompted the email.
After struggling to find a solicitor willing to work with him, he represented himself during yesterday’s hearing.
Owenson said he struggled to know how to correctly refer to the LGBT community and thought he had used the right terms, even reading out the definitions of the terms “sexual perversions” and “homophobic” to the court.
“Sexual perversion is the only way I knew to word it,” he added.
“I like to understand things, so that’s why I asked. At my age, I find it hard to understand.”
Sheriff William Summers found Owenson, of Lingbank Terrace, Peterhead, guilty and admonished him, saying: “In any assessment the words you used in the context of the email were abusive.
“I don’t think that was necessarily your intention, but I am satisfied you were reckless as to whether that behaviour would have that result.”
He added: “You are a 73-year-old first offender – don’t do it again.”