THOUSANDS of gay and bisexual men who were convicted under the abolished sex offences law have been pardoned by the Queen – thanks to Alan Turing.
In 2017, the Government said that the so-called Turing’s Law – named after World War II codebreaker Alan Turing – would come into effect.
The daring war hero was officially pardoned in 2013 – and now thousands of others will be too after the Queen signed the Police and Crime Act into law.
All gay dead men convicted under laws which have now been repealed, will be granted an automatic pardon.
Let’s take a closer look at Alan Turing and the law which has been named after him.
Alan Turing, who was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, was the Enigma code breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages.
In 1952, he started a relationship with 19-year-old Arnold Murray after meeting him just before Christmas in Manchester.
After his house was burgled and a police report filed, Turing acknowledged his sexual relationship with Murray and both men were charged with gross indecency.
Turning pleaded guilty and opted for chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones.
The pioneering mathematician was rendered impotent and his security clearance was removed – barring him for continuing his work with GCHQ.
He died two years later from cyanide poisoning in an apparent suicide – though there have been suggestions his death was an accident.
His work cracking the Enigma code is said to have shortened World War Two by two to four years.
The Bank of England has confirmed that the Second World War code-breaker will be the next person to feature on the £50 note.
The selection of the mathematician, who is often credited as being the father of computer science, was announced at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on July 15.
The new polymer £50 note is expected to enter circulation by the end of 2021.
It will feature a quote from Turing, given in an interview to the Times newspaper on June 11 1949: “This is only a foretaste of what is to come, and only the shadow of what is going to be.”
Turing was convicted under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885.
The clause was introduced by MP Henry Labouchere on 6 August 1885 and provided for a term of imprisonment “not exceeding two years”, with or without hard labour, for any man found guilty of gross indecency with another male, whether “in public or in private”.
No definition was given of what constituted “gross indecency” but it was widely interpreted as any male homosexual behaviour short of actual sodomy, which remained a more serious and separate crime.
Oscar Wilde was convicted under the act in 1895 after he was accused of having sex with over 12 young men between 1892 and 1894. He was sentenced to two years’ hard labour.
The campaign for pardons had been gaining momentum thanks to backing by MPs and celebrities like Professor Stephen Hawking, Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Nearly 50,000 Campaigners delivered a petition to Downing Street before last year’s general election.
The plan for an “Alan Turing law” was then outlined in the 2015 Conservative manifesto: “We will build on the posthumous pardon of Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing, who committed suicide following his conviction for gross indecency, with a broader measure to lift the convictions of this nature.
In 2013, Turing was granted a posthumous royal pardon – 61 years after he had been charged over homosexual activity.
Now thousands of others will also be pardoned after the Queen signed the Police and Crime Act into law.
All gay dead men convicted under laws which have now been repealed, will be granted an automatic pardon.
But those who are still alive have to apply to the Home Office to have their convictions removed.
Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said it was a “truly momentous day”.
He said: “We can never undo the hurt caused, but we have apologised and taken action to right these wrongs.
“I am immensely proud that Turing’s Law has become a reality under this Government.”
Around 75,000 gay and bisexual men were convicted under the Sexual Offences Act.
Of those,16,000 who are still alive will be asked to fill out a form to have the conviction removed from criminal records.
Pardons were automatically granted to 59,000 men who have passed away.
In a further step, the Government announced that it will introduce a new statutory pardon for the living in cases where offences have been successfully deleted through the disregard process.
Minister Gyimah said: “It is hugely important that we pardon people convicted of historical sexual offences who would be innocent of any crime today.
“Through pardons and the existing disregard process we will meet our manifesto commitment to put right these wrongs.”
