Police demand DNA from men with historic convictions for being gay
'Police turned up on the doorsteps of men and ordered them to hand over their DNA – for being gay. Officers went to the homes of three men and demanded they be allowed to collect samples from them in case they were guilty of unsolved crimes.
The men were picked out because they had been convicted of the outdated offence of gross indecency. And those who refused faced being arrested and taken to a police station for questioning. The tactic was used by officers as part of Operation Nutmeg, the force’s move to solve old crimes by collecting DNA samples from rapists, murderers and child sex abusers in case they were responsible but never caught.
But those convicted solely of gross indecency were also grouped in the directive and received a knock on the door – despite national guidelines saying they should not be. Two of the men were so concerned by the incident they called the Brighton LGBT Switchboard to see how it affected their legal rights. The historic anti-homosexuality offence of gross indecency, which was famously used to convict Oscar Wilde, was repealed in 2003...'
For full article click here. Best comment on The Argus's website:
"Well they're all undesirables aren't they? Walking the streets or cruising around in their cars, eyeing you up and just making you feel uncomfortable. This story just re-enforces my views. Not that I'm prejudiced mind, after all, some of my best friends are policemen ..."
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