Call a spade a spade and get digging

The only thing more deplorable than the brazen attack on Craig Gee and his partner Shane Brennen is the shocking level of police inaction in their case.

Let’s call a spade a spade – this was not just a robbery or even a simple gay bashing, it was attempted murder.

When these monstrous barbarians called Craig’s mother to tell her that they’d “killed [her] faggot son”, it’s 100 percent clear they left the scene with the same impression that Shane had following the attack – that they had ended Craig’s life.

Their battle cry of “Give us your money, you fucking faggots!” shows a raison d’être for the attack was present from the start.

This was not a simple crime of robbery based on desperation or need. What pauper or drug addict takes two taxis after a score – and with a credit card no less? The proceeds of this crime were most likely wasted on nothing more than a big night out on the town.

These thugs clearly believe they are untouchable and police inaction will only embolden them and their associates. It’s more than likely they were bragging to their mates about the “faggots” they’d “killed” before the night was even out.

The threats made against friends and family only demonstrate their level of hate and unrepentance. If this isn’t the true definition of a hate crime, then I don’t know what is.

With the mobile being used numerous times in the following week, police had ample opportunity to trace the phone using GPS – even if it had been disposed of, fingerprints may still have been obtained.

And why exactly did NSW Police take so long to supply CCTV images to this paper? Surely this is established practice in 21st century Australia. How often do we open a newspaper or turn on the TV to see CCTV footage used in the hunt for other assailants? Or is there some other issue here that police are unable to disclose?

It has taken decades to rebuild this community’s confidence in the police since the bad old days when they were not just enforcers of inhuman anti-gay laws, but sometimes blackmailers and attackers themselves.

That our community welcomes the police into our parade and that most want to see officers patrolling our streets shows the progress that has been made.

But the shocking inaction in this case and the unsatisfactory handling of so many others that we hear of puts all that under threat.

It is now 62 days till the Mardi Gras parade. The actions of NSW Police in that period will decide whether they are booed or cheered.