Jamaica: The Murder Of British Consul John Terry Was Not A Hate Crime

Even though the notes left on his body said "This is what will happen to ALL gays!" and "batty boy", the Jamaican government is claiming that the murder of British honorary consul John Terry was not a hate crime.

Police believe the murder may have been the result of an argument between Terry and someone he knew. There were no signs of a break-in at the property and neighbours said they had seen him with a young black man in the days leading up to his murder. Head of serious and organised crime, assistant commissioner Les Green, said evidence made the killing unlikely to be a hate crime. "I don't think it is a homophobic attack, although it's been run in the UK press. It isn't consistent with the information that we have. It is unlikely," he told the Sunday Observer. Green also played down reports of high homophobic murder rates, saying although attacks happen, few end in death. He said: "There have been attacks mainly in the Corporate Area but they have never ended in murder. There are openly gay people in Jamaica and they live quite openly and mingle freely."

Sex between two men in Jamaica is punishable by ten years in prison. How's that for "open and free"?