Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, who recently married his gay partner, along with other celebrities has posted an open letter in the Guardian asking all those prosecuted be pardoned. It says "The UK's homophobic laws made the lives of generations of gay and bisexual men intolerable. "It is up to young leaders of today including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to acknowledge this mark on our history and not allow it to stand." An online petition has also been launched at www.Pardon49k.org, with more than 60,000 having signed it so far. Follow the link to add your signature. Alan Turing receives Royal pardon Alan Turing was a brilliant British mathematician, acknowledged as a central figure in the development of computers, but for all his service to Britain he was criminalised following a conviction on homosexuality charges. In December 2013 he finally he received a Royal pardon. Turing was instrumental in developing a machine which could crack the "Enigma Code" used by the Germans during WWII. According to the New York Times he helped "develop the machines and algorithms that unscrambled the supposedly impenetrable Enigma code". This helped end the terrible war. However, Alan Turing was homosexual and, back then, that was criminal. Homosexuality in the UK was classed as a criminal activity until the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 decriminalised "homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21". Following a petty theft at his home Mr Turing ended up being investigated by police for homosexual activity. In 1952 Alan Turing was convicted of committing homosexual acts and his previous exemplary war record was forgotten. In order to avoid a prison sentence Turing took Hobson's choice, meaning no choice at all, and underwent chemical castration. There was more though to come, and Turing lost his security clearance, meaning that his once invaluable code-breaking work ended abruptly. Two years later he died and the official cause of death was listed as suicide In 2012 BBC News reported: Turing expert Prof Jack Copeland] has questioned the evidence that was presented at the 1954 inquest. He believes the evidence would not today be accepted as sufficient to establish a suicide verdict. Indeed, he argues, Turing's death may equally probably have been an accident. What is well known and accepted is that Alan Turing died of cyanide poisoning. His housekeeper famously found the 41-year-old mathematician dead in his bed, with a half-eaten apple on his bedside table. There was little hard evidence of suicide but "Nevertheless, at the inquest, the coroner, Mr JAK Ferns declared "In a man of his type, one never knows what his mental processes are going to do next." What he meant by "of his type" is unclear. Did he mean as he was a genius or because he was gay? In recent years there were moves to pardon Turing, posthumously. In 2009, British PM Gordon Brown issued a formal apology to Mr. Turing, calling his treatment “horrifying” and “utterly unfair,” but in 2012 David Cameron’s government denied him a pardon." In December 2012 a petition to pardon Turing, was led by the equally brilliant Stephen Hawking. For whatever reason, election fever perhaps, he was pardoned and Cameron said in a statement: “His action saved countless lives. He also left a remarkable national legacy through his substantial scientific achievements, often being referred to as the ‘father of modern computing.’” British Justice Minister, Chris Grayling, requested the pardon under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, it was granted by the Queen and in force Christmas Eve, 2013. Mr Turing would perhaps laugh at the irony of a Queen's pardon, if he were able. Chemical castration Chemical castration was used by many countries to suppress sexual urges. Homosexuality was viewed of as a form of mental illness, only a few decades ago, in the UK. The castration used hormone treatments which in some cases caused the men involved to grow breasts and experience a range of health problems. For Alan Turing it was possibly worth it if he could continue in his role at Manchester University, which gave him access to one of the world's only computers at that time. However, he paid a high price for being homosexual and 60 years later a posthumous pardon only goes a short way toward setting the record straight. Professor Copeland told the BBC "Turing was hounded," adding: "Yet he remained cheerful and humorous. "The thing is to tell the truth in so far as we know it, and not to speculate. "In a way we have in modern times been recreating the narrative of Turing's life, and we have recreated him as an unhappy young man who committed suicide. But the evidence is not there. "The exact circumstances of Turing's death will probably always be unclear," Prof Copeland concludes. "Perhaps we should just shrug our shoulders, and focus on Turing's life and extraordinary work." How he died is still not 100% clear but at least his criminal record is wiped clean, finally.
2 Comments
If you knew redundancy was on the cards you would spend accordingly. Finding out you will lose your job when you have spent up is cruel.
Administrators have already warned of substantial redundancies in the coming days. City-Link failed to attract a buyer previously and that is bound to still be the case. Coventry based City Link is owned by Better Capital. Sub-contractors have also been left out in the cold. If you are expecting a delivery from City Link the latest news is that operations are suspended at all depots. From Monday people will able to collect parcels but don't expect any refund of delivery costs. Updates as available. Det Insp Jon Cross said on Tuesday evening: "This was a vicious attack on two elderly and vulnerable members of the community in their own home."
Yet the couple's age probably means a thief would have been able to foil them without violence. So was the attack gratuitous violence? If either of the victims tried to fight of the intruder what sort of individual would use force against two frail elderly people? A sick individual? A selfish one? A downright nasty thug? The only descriptions that spring to mind are such. This is one case that surely must warrant a heavy sentence being given to whoever is proved guilty. Scunthorpe is not a rich area of the country but it is not a hell-hole. BBC News |
|