Former international rugby captain victim of gay ‘hate crime’
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Former dual-code rugby international Gareth Thomas has received support for his response after being the victim of an assault in Cardiff city centre on the weekend.
Key points:
- Former Wales captain Thomas used restorative justice in response to being assaulted on the weekend
- Restorative justice allows the victim of a crime to talk to the perpetrator to explain how it affected them and does not result in a conviction
- Thomas was the first male international rugby player to come out as gay in 2009
The 44-year-old Welshman, who came out as gay in 2009, said he was targeted due to his sexuality, and that he had been the victim of a hate crime.
"I was the victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality," Thomas said.
The attacker, a 16-year-old boy, was dealt with by officers at the scene, who used restorative justice at the request of Thomas.
Restorative justice allows the victim of a crime to talk to the perpetrator to help explain the harm that they have caused, and that they will not be charged with an offence.
Thomas, who displayed evidence of the assault in extensive bruising on his face in his video statement, said that he used the restorative justice system to help educate the offender.
South Wales Police explained Thomas's request in a statement.
"Restorative justice was at the request of Mr Thomas and accepted by the teenager who admitted assault and was apologetic for his actions," it said.
"Restorative justice is about putting victim needs at the centre of the criminal justice system, finding positive solutions to crime and encouraging young people to be accountable for the consequences of their actions."
Thomas said: "I want to say thank you to the police who … allowed me to do restorative justice with the people who did this.
"I thought they would learn more that way than any other way."
Advocate for gay rights
Thomas became the first male international rugby player to come out as gay.
The former utility-back won 100 international caps for Wales and three for the British and Irish Lions, making the switch to rugby league in 2010, playing four matches for Wales before retiring in 2011.
Thomas has been a staunch advocate for gay rights since his retirement from professional sport, recently launching a draft bill in the House of Commons to change the law that would place the use of homophobic language level with that of racism at sporting events.
Thomas had previously described the level of homophobia in football as "alarming" in a BBC documentary, saying the sport risks "being left in the dark ages" if attitudes do not change.
In the wake of the assault, Thomas received plenty of support, not least from veteran international rugby union referee Nigel Owens.
Fellow Welshman Owens, who also came out in 2009 and has also been a fierce advocate for gay rights, commended Thomas for his "braveness" in dealing with the assault.
"When something like this happens, it hurts and disappoints you," Owens said.
"The way Gareth has handled it is highly commendable."
Owens, who said he too had dealt with abuse from online trolls on social media by way of restorative justice, said the incident highlighted how much work there is still to be done in regard to gay rights.
"Rugby has come a long way and so has society, but it's times like this you realise that there's still a lot of work to be done," Owens told ITV.
Despite being clearly shaken by the assault, Thomas ended his video statement on a positive note.
"There are a lot of people who want to hurt us, but unfortunately for them, there's a lot more who want to help us heal."
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ABC .net
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