Gay rugby icon Gareth Thomas posted a video to Twitter saying he was attacked in his home city of Cardiff, Wales, for being gay.
Said Thomas on Twitter: “This morning I’ve decided to make what I hope will be a positive video. Last night I was a victim in my home city of a hate crime for my sexuality. Why do I want it to be positive? Because I want to say thank you to the police who were involved, who were very helpful and allowed me to do restorative justice to the people who did this because I thought they could learn more that way than any other way. And also to the people of Cardiff who supported me and helped me because there’s a lot of people out there who want to hurt us. But, unfortunately for them, there is a lot more that want to help us heal. So this, I hope, will be a positive message.”
— Gareth Thomas (@gareththomas14) November 18, 2018
Cardiff police released a statement: “We are aware that a video has been posted on social media by former rugby international Gareth Thomas in relation to a hate crime which happened on The Hayes in Cardiff city centre on Friday November 16. We can confirm a local 16-year-old boy was dealt with by way of Restorative justice following the incident at around 9pm.”
The Cardiff PD added: “Restorative justice was at the request of Mr Thomas and accepted by the teenager who admitted assault and was apologetic for his actions. 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. A hate crime is any crime motivated by hostility on the grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity. Hate crime has no place in society and has always been a priority for South Wales Police.”
