Peter Slater: Launceston chef says bashing was ‘gay hate crime’

A Tasmanian chef woke up in a park at 6am with a “shattered tailbone” and fractured ribs after a night out at a popular queer club night, but police say they have “no indication” the incident was hate-related.

Launceston chef manager Peter Slater says he believes himself to be a victim of "gay hate crime" after being bashed and robbed on his walk home from MOOD, a popular queer club night. Picture: Facebook

A Tasmanian chef remembers only the first punch after he was savagely bashed in a park as he walked home from a popular queer club night, in what he described as a “gay hate crime” akin to the bad old days of queer bashings in Sydney.

Tasmania Police say they have “no indication” at this stage that the incident was related to hate.

Launceston man Peter Slater, chef manager at Regis Norwood aged care home, said he was walking home through City Park about 2am Sunday morning after attending the Royal Oak Hotel’s nearby MOOD queer night when the alleged assault happened.

“Three guys came up to me and said a word, I can’t remember what, I felt a punch in my eye and that was it. I woke up at 6am,” he said.

Launceston chef manager Peter Slater just days before he was bashed unconscious in City Park. Picture: Facebook

His phone had been stolen while his wallet was cleaned of its cash and cards, he said.

Mr Slater, suffering “massively fractured ribs and a shattered tailbone”, walked himself to the nearby Hotel Grand Chancellor, his boyfriend’s place of work, where police were contacted.

“They took me back to the park to look for evidence, they found my devil horns,” Mr Slater, who was dressed “provocatively” in a leather harness, mesh top, skinny jeans and angel wings, said.

“The worst part of it was I was dead drunk, I wouldn’t have been able to fight back. I’m 72kg,” he said.

Mr Slater said he never expected to be the victim of a “gay hate crime” in his home town of Launceston, which he left at age 20 before living interstate in Sydney for 25 years.

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“It’s happened to a lot of my Oxford St friends, but I never thought it would happen to me,” he said.

Mr Slater said he is wracked with guilty thoughts that he should have left the club night at 1am with his partner and friends.

“I’m definitely not going to go out for a while. Not unless I am around a lot of friends,” he said.

“It’s very intimidating. I feel really bad for the Royal Oak, poor buggers. They’re trying to do a good thing for the community.”

Royal Oak/MOOD spokeswoman Clementine Blackman said the venue has “zero tolerance for people being unkind to each other”.

“We are out and proud and, we will always have our doors open to let love in, we will never close them because of hate,” she said. Event management had been “completely devastated” by the assault on Mr Slater.

Tasmania Police confirmed Launceston CIB is investigating the incident.

“It is reported that somewhere in the vicinity of Brisbane and Tamar streets a man aged in his fifties was assaulted, and offender/s stole a number of items including a mobile phone,” a representative said.

“There is no indication that this was a hate crime.”

“Anyone with information in relation to the incident is asked to contact Launceston CIB on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers at crimestopperstas.com.au, quoting reference OR697333.”