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(London) Police have dropped hate speech charges against a man who called a mounted policeman's horse gay.

Sam Brown, a senior at Oxford, made the remark to the officer when the student was on his way home after a night of partying with friends celebrating the end of exams last May.

He allegedly approached the officer and said, "Excuse me, do you realize your horse is gay?"

A few moment later two police cars approached and he was charged with making "homophobic comments" under the Public Order Act.

Brown refused to pay a fine of about $140 and the Crown Prosecutor prepared for trial.

But Wednesday in court, the charges were dropped.

While both sides agree that the remark was stupid, and made in jest by an intoxicated student, the case shows the difficulty in prosecuting hate speech.

A second, and more serious case, is also likely to end up being dropped legal experts agree.

That one involves Muslim leader Sir Iqbal Sacranie.*

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[ 12 January 2006: Message edited by: Hephaestion ]

[ 12 January 2006: Message edited by: faith ]

[ 12 January 2006: Message edited by: skeptikool ]

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He allegedly approached the officer and said, "Excuse me, do you realize your horse is gay?”

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Those Brits are a classy lot. Back home in Alberta, the thing to do would be to drive by in a pickup truck and yell "your horse is a fag!!" out the window. But on the hallowed old streets of Oxford, it's all proper sentences prefaced with apologetic phrases.