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| Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of long-abolished sexual offences are posthumously pardoned | Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of long-abolished sexual offences are posthumously pardoned |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences have been posthumously pardoned. | |
| Dubbed the "Alan Turing law", it will effectively act as an apology to those convicted for consensual same-sex relationships before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967. | Dubbed the "Alan Turing law", it will effectively act as an apology to those convicted for consensual same-sex relationships before homosexuality was decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967. |
| It comes after decades of campaigning from the LGBT community and after the family of the Enigma code breaker Alan Turing delivered a petition to Downing Street before the 2015 general election. | |
| Justice Minister Sam Gyimah said it was a "truly momentous day". | |
| Public pressure led to the major political parties pledging to introduce the "Alan Turing law" – in memory to the man Winston Churchill described as making “the single biggest contribution to the allied victory” in World War II. | |
| The pardons, first announced last year, have now been officially rubber-stamped after the Policing and Crime Bill received Royal Assent. | |
| It enshrines in law pardons for those convicted of consensual same-sex relationships before laws were changed. | |
| Mr Gyimah added: "This is a truly momentous day. 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." | |
| The new law will also see statutory pardons granted to the living. | |
| However, this will only apply in cases where individuals have successfully applied through the Home Office's disregard process to have historic offences removed. | |
| The charity Stonewall said: "Another important milestone of equality has been secured in law. | |
| "Gay and bi men, cautioned or convicted for kissing, holding hands or just chatting up men, can now have these 'crimes' deleted from their record. | |
| "The more equality is enshrined into our law books, the stronger our equality becomes, and the stronger we as a community become. | |
| "This is not just equality for gay and bi men; the passing of this law is justice." | |
| Mr Turing, the Enigma code breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages, was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – 61 years after he was charged at Manchester police station over homosexual activity. | Mr Turing, the Enigma code breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages, was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – 61 years after he was charged at Manchester police station over homosexual activity. |
| The pioneering mathematician, whose code-breaking skills are said to have shortened World War Two by two to four years, lost his job with the secret service following a conviction for gross indecency and was forced to undergo chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. | The pioneering mathematician, whose code-breaking skills are said to have shortened World War Two by two to four years, lost his job with the secret service following a conviction for gross indecency and was forced to undergo chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. |
| Two years later Mr Turing took his own life – and it is estimated that around 49,000 were convicted under similar outdated laws until homosexuality was decriminalised. | Two years later Mr Turing took his own life – and it is estimated that around 49,000 were convicted under similar outdated laws until homosexuality was decriminalised. |