Boys Who Used Grindr To Lure, Bash Gay Man Awarded Legal Fees
Two boys who lured 56-year-old Peter Keeley via the gay dating app Grindr, robbed and bashed him, have been awarded legal fees after the judge ruled that they should not have been prosecuted for the Canberra-based real estate agent’s brutal murder.
Keeley’s bound, gagged and battered body was found in the bushlands at Broulee, around 20 kilometres south of Batemans Bay, NSW in February 2020.
Keeley, an auctioneer and past president of West Belconnen Junior Rugby League Football Club, was lured by one of the boys via Grindr. The three boys, then aged 17, brutally bashed Keeley and left him to die.
Arrests And Prison
Police arrested the three boys, who cannot be identified, because of their age at the time of the crime. According to police, the fingerprint of one of the boys was found on the duct tape used on Keeley.
Their search history revealed that they had searched “Does holding a metal object in your hand make a difference to your punch” on Google. The postmortem report said that Keeley suffered “sustained and brutal” blows to the head and face, but the cause of death was inconclusive.
In June 2022, the trial court acquitted the boys of murder charges and convicted them of aggravated kidnapping. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to five years. One of the boys was released in September 2022, the second one got out of jail in January 2023 and a third accused is due for release in December 2023.
Not An Adult-Like Offence, Said Judge
The judge, while convicting the accused, said that Keeley was “struck repeatedly and with some force and was bound and gagged. The assault was extensive, and the extent of the violence was significant”.
Judge Michael Whalton ruled that while “the offence involved considerable violence” and there were “elements of vigilantism”, it was “not an “adult-like” offence”.
The judge said he accepted the defence submission that “the criminal behaviour stemmed from a dangerous and misguided idea which according to (one of the accused) “all went terribly wrong” and that the crime “was not committed by hardened, young offenders but by three youths who were friends and apart from some illicit drug use, were law-abiding and of good character.”
Two of the boys filed petitions before the NSW Supreme Court seeking payment of their legal fees, contending that they should not have been charged with Keeley’s murder, reported news.com.au.
Judge Whalton ruled in favour of the boys, with the exact amount of legal damages to be paid to them to be set at a later date.
This judge should be looked in to as it is apparent he is homophobic to have given such light sentences. Surely the attorney general should appeal the payment of to the evil killers. As teenagers 16 + are classed of legal age sexually and able to obtain a drivers licence and a current push to be able to vote then they should be named instead of hiding behind the so called child laws.
It is time the Government stepped in as this case has the nearly appearance of Gay panic law.
I wonder what judge Whalton’s comments would be had HE been the subject of these offenders’ “not adult-like” attention.
This court result beggars belief.
The sentencing and comments of judge Whalton are almost as sickening as the crime itself.
My heart breaks for the family of the victim.
I am beyond disgusted.
It is hard to believe that this has transpired the way it has “aggravated kidnapping” come on they bashed him and left him to die. What is wrong with our justice system – WHAT JUSTICE for the victim disgusting
I can’t believe these men are out of jail already?
Who cares if they didn’t throw the final punch to kill him, they bashed him, tied him up and left him for dead – they are guilty!
This is what gay men should be marching for, to protect one another. Because I can tell you right now we are no longer safe.
SO just what would an “Adult-Like-Crime” have been distinguishable from this one then? I must say I had not even heard of this case until reading this latest miscarriage of justice, from this article just now! Sounds more like they were rewarding them (the farcical judicial system, that is), for their services to the community, with this lie of a result! I hope the family of the poor man can appeal this less than poor verdict!
Two to five years! And had their legal fees paid! And only charged with “aggravated kidnapping”! What about manslaughter? They killed him. This is disgraceful!
Law abiding people of good character don’t bash people to death. If this had been a young female victim, what would the outcome have been. Let’s face it , despite some progress, in the eyes of the law, gays are disposable.
Sorry, but I find it absolutely unbelievable that 3 young males should be rewarded for their deliberate action in luring an older male to his death.
What’s wrong with our legal system to even consider such action?????
Anti-gay bigotry is alive and well in 21st Century Australia.