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"?

Gay British Envoy Murdered In Jamaica, "This Is What Will Happen To ALL Gays"

"This is what will happen to ALL gays" read the note left at the scene of the strangling murder of John Terry, the British honorary consul to Jamaica.

Police believe that Mr Terry, who was married but separated from his wife, knew his attacker. There were no signs of forced entry at the property. However, it is believed that the killer stole his wallet and mobile telephone in an attempt to make it appear as though a robbery had gone wrong. Police would not say whether Mr Terry’s murder was thought to be linked to his work as a Justice of the Peace but they were investigating the possibility that the attack might have been homophobic after a handwritten note on his body described him as a “batty man”, local slang for a homosexual. The note also said: “This is what will happen to ALL gays.” It was signed: “Gay-Man”. The former hotel manager had worked in the island’s tourism trade for more than 30 years. At the time of his death he was working at the Half Moon Hotel in Montego Bay, a resort popular with British and American tourists.

Jamaica, the island paradise.