Brian Paddick

Brian Paddick, senior Lib Dem and formerly highest ranking out officer in the London Metropolitan Police force, spoke about homophobia in an interview with Channel 4 News.

He said that homophobia in the  playground and the media could lead to brutal homophobic attacks. He highlighted that in a Stonewall survey 75% of those who had suffered homophobic attacks did not report the attacks to the police.

He added that while he would like to think the increase in reporting reflects a greater confidence in the police force it may well also reflect an increase in hate crime.