Police have decided not to pursue an investigation into an Apr 28 incident in which a man allegedly shouted homophobic slurs then punched a lesbian outside Little Sister’s bookstore.
Leigh Cousins was putting up posters in the bookstore’s breezeway when she says she heard a man shouting “fuckin’ pussy, fuckin’ faggot” at another man who went hurriedly into the store. When she confronted the man, Cousins alleges he called her a “dyke bitch” then punched her in the jaw – a blow that knocked her to the ground.
Now she says police told her witnesses’ statements indicated the incident involved “mutual banter” between her and her alleged assailant, so they aren’t recommending charges.
Cousins admits she was “babbling back” at the man when she first confronted him and that she accidentally hit his baseball cap when she raised her finger to tell him to go away.
Const Tim Fanning says he’ll look into the file, but notes police reports don’t always specify why charges aren’t recommended.
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