Nigel Owens: Police probe homophobic letter sent to ex-ref

Former rugby referee Nigel Owens, who came out as gay in 2007, has been sent homophobic hate mail

Homophobic hate mail sent to former rugby referee Nigel Owens is being investigated by police.

Mr Owens, who came out as gay in 2007, said he feared the hate mail - signed by a "steelworker" - was sparked by the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.

It is understood former Wales international Gareth Thomas also received letters from the person.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was investigating the matter and enquiries were ongoing.

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Mr Owens said the recent controversy over OneLove armbands in Qatar in support of the LGBTQ community - Wales and England captains Gareth Bale and Harry Kane were asked not to wear them - had only "made matters worse".

"I don't know what generation the letter writer is from, but he's an example of the narrow-mindedness in people, whether it's towards someone's sexuality, the colour of their skin, or which country they are from," he said.

In a post on Twitter, the former referee said he thought long and hard about sharing the latter, but "unless we start calling out these people, nothing will change," he added "it hurts and there is no need for all this hurt."

Mr Owens added: "It just shows how ignorant this person is, but it was very unpleasant to get such a hurtful letter delivered to my home."

The letter quotes messages from the Bible, and said Mr Owens should be punished and ashamed about his sexuality.

Mr Owens, who has a small cattle farm with his partner, said he was overwhelmed with support from people disgusted by the letter.

He said: "Most people are good and decent people, and hopefully their louder voices will quell the minority who write this rubbish."

Mr Owens fears the hate mail was sparked by the football World Cup in Qatar

Gian Molinu, chairman of Pride Cymru said: "It's appalling to see such proud, successful members of our community being targeted for having the courage to live authentically and openly."

He said Mr Owens has always been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ equality and thanked him for calling out abuse.

He added: "Hate speech such as this fuels violence - just like we saw from across the pond in Colorado last week, words have consequences.

"Hate crime has doubled in four years against the LGBTQ+ community, we have to come together across all sections of society to find ways to stop this epidemic of hate."

A spokesman for Port Talbot-based manufacturer Tata Steel said the company was "100% with Nigel".

Posting a message to Mr Owens on Twitter, the company added: "We are horrified to see it, apparently signed by one of our own steel family.

"There is no place for such hatred in a steel works, in a rugby club or in society."