BRIT IN COURT OVER GAY SEX VIDEO

As calls for his release grow, a retired British banker has appeared in a Ugandan court after a private video of him having sex with another man was leaked.

On Monday, Bernard Randall (65) pleaded not guilty to charges of “trafficking obscene publications” in Entebbe.

A Ugandan man, Albert Cheptoyek (30), who shares Randall’s house, also pleaded not guilty to charges of committing “acts of gross indecency”.

Randall, who lives in Uganda, claims that robbers who broke into his home found the pornographic video on his laptop, tried to blackmail him and passed it on to the notoriously homophobic Red Pepper newspaper.

The tabloid then published an explicit front page report titled Exposed – Top City Tycoons Sodomy Sex Video Leaks. This led to Randall and Cheptoyek being arrested.

According to BBC News, one of the alleged robbers claims that “Randall gave him the video whilst trying to lure him into being his sexual partner back home in England,” a claim which Randall refutes as ridiculous.

The case was postponed and the men’s trial is now set to start on 4 December. Randall faces up to seven years in jail if found guilty while Cheptoyek could be jailed for life if he’s found guilty.

The case has generated international interest, with veteran LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell leading a campaign calling for the release of Randall, Cheptoyek and the recently arrested LGBT rights activist Sam Ganafa.

On Monday, Tatchell and other activists protested outside the Ugandan High Commission in London against “Uganda’s witch-hunts and show trials of LGBT people”.

The protesters chanted: “Free Sam! Free Bernard! Uganda – Repeal anti-gay laws” and “2-4-6-8. Uganda stop the hate. 3-5-7-9. Gay love is not a crime.”

“We are protesting against the homophobic witch-hunts and show trials in Uganda. These prosecutions violate Uganda’s own constitution and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, both of which guarantee equal treatment and non-discrimination to all citizens,” said Tatchell.

“The criminalisation of homosexuality is contrary to these human rights obligations, which Uganda has agreed and pledged to uphold. All charges should be dropped and Uganda’s colonial-era anti-homosexual laws repealed,” he added.