Unsolved 1980 murder of Richard Slater likely gay hate crime

He drove an old blue Valiant, wore an old-fashioned corduroy cap, and loved to garden.

Yvonne, Mr Slater's youngest grandchild who was 11 at the time, said the 'horrific and heart breaking impact' that his 1980 murder had on her life was hard to express.

She recalls her mother saying that her father was beaten so badly that he was entirely non-verbal.

His death was re-visited today (Friday, May 19), the second day of the sixth hearing of the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes.

Counsel Assisting the inquiry, William de Mars, said Mr Slater, 69, was found at 1pm in a toilet block in Birdwood Park, Newcastle, on December 22, 1980, with blood on his face, moaning and making gurgling noises.

He died in Royal Newcastle Hospital a few days later. An autopsy by Dr LJ Banathy identified the cause of death as traumatic brain injury followed by a heart attack.

He told investigating police Mr Slater's injuries were consistent with being punched in the head, possibly four times, causing extensive bruising and face bone fractures, and a left ear laceration which also caused brain damage, plus injuries consistent with him being stomped on the chest, rupturing his spleen.

Mr Slater, a former crane driver for BHP, had been on his way to do some shopping and buy some lottery tickets.

The Birdwood Park toilet block was a well known beat, police describing it in a 1983 summary a "renowned meeting place for the homosexual element of this area at all hours during the day and night".

They did not suspect Mr Slater was gay, but he was known to have a prostate condition that meant he needed to urinate frequently.

His then 17-year-old grandson told police that Mr Slater had stopped in the same toilets on occasions when he was travelling with him due to his prostate condition.

In August 1982 police had a break through regarding a suspect named Jeffrey Miller, since deceased. He was a man with a substantial criminal record including for violence against men, and had been at Birdwood Park about the same time.

Mr Miller, who appeared himself to be gay, was likely to have assumed Mr Slater was gay. A teenager who had been with Mr Miller earlier that day told police he threatened him saying if he didn't keep his mouth shut he would end up like the guy in the toilet.

He didn't know what Mr Miller was referring to at the time, but later heard about Mr Slater's death.

"I knew a lot about him, that he was rolling and beating up people in toilets" he told police.

Another witness confirmed that Mr Miller threatened the teen because "he knew too much about him bashing people".

Mr Miller was charged with murder, but it was later no-billed.

Mr de Mars said it was unclear why he was never charged with a lesser crime, but that there was material suggesting the approach of police at that time "may have been informed, or at least affected by negative stereotyping", with an early police summary at pains to note that, despite the assault taking place in a public toilet 'frequented by homosexuals', Mr Slater enjoyed a good reputation and there was no suggestion he was 'an associate of a criminal element".

Commissioner John Sackar said there was no doubt Mr Slater died as a result of a "cowardly attack" and would give all of the material serious consideration.

He thanked Mr Salter's grand daughter, Yvonne, who was one of the first to make contact with him at the start of the inquiry, saying her grand father would have been very proud.

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