A man has been jailed for 6 years following an attack and robbery on a well-known gay cabaret star in Newcastle. After befriending Boulevard cabaret star Simon Green, aka Betty Legs Diamond on a night out in the city centre, Iain Banks launched a violent attack on the performer, calling him a f*gg*t and threatening to kill him, and robbed him of his possessions. Simon was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary after the attack and treated for various injuries including a broken nose.
Banks was caught on CCTV carrying out the attack, which he initially denied. Recorder Andrew Kelbrick told Banks: “There are significant aggravating features including your previous convictions and especially the fact this was in effect a homophobic offence.”
Simon commented that he “hadn’t seen homophobia like that since the 1970s.”
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