Ronnie Lee (24): ‘Estate agent who glassed me was only spared jail because she is a woman.’

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Mike Buchanan

Three days ago we posted a piece linking to an article by Luke Salkeld for the Daily Mail, concerning Yasmin Thomas, the 21-year-old estate agent who was spared a custodial sentence after being convicted of her 18th case of assault and battery. In the latest case she smashed a glass into the face of 24-year-old Ronnie Lee in a bar. He was lucky not to have lost an eye.

In today’s paper there’s another article by Luke Salkeld, on the same topic – here. A key extract:

Yesterday Mr Lee said he was disgusted at the leniency of the sentence, which includes an anger management course. He said:

‘If it was the other way around and I did that to her, I would be going straight to jail. What happens next time if she does something and it’s life threatening? She could end up killing someone. She’s got 18 convictions already. She’s a danger to herself and others around her.

‘If someone had the number of convictions she’s got I would think for at least one of them there would be a lesson learnt. I don’t think the justice system has provided a judgment that set will set an example.’

About Mike Buchanan

I'm a men's human rights advocate, writer, and publisher. My primary focus is leading the political party I launched in 2013, Justice for Men & Boys (and the women who love them). I still work actively on two campaigns I launched in early 2012, Campaign for Merit in Business and the Anti-Feminism League. In 2014 I launched The Alternative Sexism Project, aiming to raise public understanding that the sexism faced by men and boys has far more grievous consequences than the sexism faced by women and girls.
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  • I see that Tobias Ellwood, M.P. for Bournemouth East, has criticised the sentence given to Yasmin Thomas and said he would be discussing it with the Attorney General to review it.

    That’s the least he can do.

    I’d like to see the judge held to account for this travesty of justice.

  • You are so right about the sexism men face, Mike. Ronnie Lee is a victim in a system that supports victim blaming and it is unacceptable. My gay partner of the last 35 years brought an action in wimbledon magistrates court on 31st July 2014. During the recess when the magistrates adjourned, the female court clerk leaned forward towards my partners solicitor, looking at my partner out of her left eye whilst telling his solicitor she had to go out for a “FAG”. Not getting a reaction, the court clerk then turned to my partner, pointed at him and said “I am sorry, that was not intended to offend you”. My partner replied ” Why should your wanting to go out for a cigarette possibly offend me” to which she replied, putting her left hand on the court bundle “Oh, it was something I read about you in these papers”. My partner said, “you mean my homosexuality”, to which the court clerk replied “Yes”. My partner then said ” Look, i understand i am a fourth world citizen, but your insult was uncalled for”. This shows this woman is a misandrist, and being in such a powerful position as a court clerk, with the power to advise and direct lay person magistrates, it is worrying that she possibly influences the outcome of cases in the magistrates courts and imposes her homophobic bigotry on cases involving homosexual men, for referring to my partner as a “FAG” is a term that can only be directed at a homosexual man. Such homophobic sexism by a court clerk indicates that there is institutionalised homophobia in the very fabric of the UK courts system. As an interesting point of note, the Crown prosecutor defending the cases was a woman, my partners solicitor was a woman, the court clerk was a woman and so were security in the court room, who all heard her very deliberate homophobic slur.