Horsing around

A student who called a mounted policeman's horse "gay" will not be prosecuted, it has been revealed.

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But police have stood by their decision to take Sam Brown to court for making "homophobic comments" despite the Crown Prosecution Service dropping the case.

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Mr Brown, 21, a student at Oxford University, had said to an officer: "Excuse me, do you realise your horse is gay?"

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Police took the case to court after Mr Brown refused to pay a £80 fine.
Mr Brown, who made the comment during a night out with friends in Oxford after his final exams, was arrested under section 5 of the Public Order Act for making homophobic remarks.
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His remarks were deemed likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
The English Literature graduate, from Belfast, spent the night of 30 May last year in a police cell.

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It emerged at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Thursday that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had chosen to discontinue the case.
Prosecutor Cariad Eveson-Webb said there was not enough evidence to prove Mr Brown had been disorderly.

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Thames Valley Police defended their decision to take the case to court.
A spokesman said: "We present the case to the CPS and the CPS make the decision to proceed or not.
"He made homophobic comments that were deemed offensive to people passing by."

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So are we to understand that simply using the word "gay" is now considered offensive? One wonders how this works when applied to racism and sexism laws.

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For example, "Excuse me, did you realise you were a police woman?" - would that be enough to earn me a night in the cells?

What about, "Excuse me, did you realise your horse is black and white?"

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One couldn't make it up!