Marriage celebrant awarded $25k in damages over vile anti-gay abuse
A discrimination tribunal has awarded a victim of homophobic abuse AUD$25,000 in damages.
Peter Power-Lawrence, of St Marys, was awarded the money, equivalent to £12,000, by the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal of Tasmania.
Mr Power-Lawrence, a marriage celebrant, was subjected to the anti-gay tirade by Nick Bouvy, who apparently thought he had been snubbed over drug addiction in his past, reports news.com.au.
The Tribunal heard that Mr Bouvy had become angry, called him up and “commenced a tirade of homophobic abuse and threats”.
It didn’t stop there, however, as Mr Bouvy called back eighteen times.
“On each occasion, he left messages that were offensive and humiliating and used abominable and disgusting language,” tribunal member Steven Bishop said.
The amount, $25k, was the most the Tribunal had ever awarded, and has been hailed as an important precedent.
