Christian woman may sue after police investigate ‘gay hate crime’ letter

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A woman who complained about a gay Pride march in Norwich has said she may sue the police and local council after she was investigated for possible hate crime.

Pauline Howe, 67, wrote the letter to Norwich city council to complain about a Pride march she saw.

In the letter, she described gays as “sodomites”. She added that homosexuality had “contributed to the downfall of every empire” and was a major cause of sexually transmitted infections.

Howe added: “It is shameful that this small, but vociferous lobby should be allowed such a display unwarranted by the minimal number of homosexuals.”

She was then warned in a letter from Bridget Buttinger, the council’s deputy chief executive, that she could face charges for hate crime.

Buttinger wrote: “The content of your letter has been assessed as potentially being hate related because of the views you expressed towards people of a certain sexual orientation.”

The council then passed Howe’s details to the police and she was interviewed at her home by two officers who later decided that no crime had been committed.

Howe told the Sunday Telegraph she was not homophobic but was merely expressing her Christian beliefs.

She has now contacted the Christan Institute for advice and is considering whether to take legal action.

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