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Magistrate quits after anti-gay comments
Byron Butler
A magistrate has resigned after comparing gays to paedophiles.
Byron Butler, a senior magistrate and Deputy Lord Lieutenant for mid-Glamorgan, made the comments on a programme hosted by singer Ian “H” Watkins, formerly of the pop group Steps.
In the show, The Only Gay in the Village, about changing attitudes to homosexuality, the singer interviewed Mr Butler on the street.
When asked for his views on homosexuality, Mr Butler said: “We haven’t got much time for them.
“Well, I think probably it is a suspicion of the mainstream that they perhaps will interfere with young people and so on and that has historically been the case. That is the danger.
“Paedophiles, not necessarily, but they do, don’t they, that is the reality.”
Following the interview the singer called for Butler to be stripped of his role as a JP.
Butler, who had been a magistrate for thirty years, stood down in the early stages of an official investigation into his remarks.
In a statement, the Office for Judicial Complaints said: “Mr Butler has resigned during the course of the disciplinary proceedings against him, thereby pre-empting any further action.
“The Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice have accepted his resignation and he will no longer sit as a magistrate.”
