Tory councillor's gender joke led to a dressing down by police

By David Wilkes for the Daily Mail
Updated: 01:57 EST, 31 March 2009

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Light-hearted: Councillor Yardley said he didn't realise there was a transgender person in the room when he made the joke

The question-and-answer session had started in unremarkable fashion.

As the 50 members of the public at the police liaison meeting were handed their electronic handsets to take part in a survey, an official told them: 'Let's start with an easy question to get us going.

'Press A if you're male or B if you're female.'

But it seems nothing is ever that simple. Someone asked: 'What if you're transgendered?'

'You could press A and B together,' quipped Conservative councillor Jonathan Yardley.

And that's where the problems started. Unbeknown to Mr Yardley, the person who had asked the question was partner to a transgendered individual, also at the meeting.

And although Mr Yardley believes others found his quip amusing, this couple certainly did not.

A complaint was made - and as a result, he was spoken to by police for his ' homophobic' remark.

Yesterday, the 48-year-old councillor said: 'I went to meet a sergeant and an inspector who told me what I said could be homophobic and started giving me advice on what sort of humour I should engage in.

'They put me through the mill and asked me to confirm what I'd said and told me that a complaint had been made and I could be prosecuted.

'I find it ridiculous you can get in trouble over an off-the-cuff remark, with no malice intended. I didn't even know there was a transgender person there.

'There are much more important issues that the police should be spending their time on. These are the politically correct times we live in. You can't make jokes any more.'

Mr Yardley is chairman of the quarterly meetings in Wolverhampton because he is the city council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods and community safety.

The first few questions out of the 36 had been intended to establish the demographic of the audience.

The married father of one, who was not arrested, added: 'I've been trying to get more police into my ward, Tettenhall Regis, where there are the usual problems of anti-social youths, burglary and car crime. It just adds to my frustration that the police have to deal with petty complaints like jokes.

'I blame the Government for all the edicts they send out which seem to stop the police doing their real job and involve them in bureaucracy. Any innocuous remark now has to be investigated.'

Chief Superintendent Richard Green, head of police in Wolverhampton West, said: 'We met Councillor Yardley for a short discussion, at which various policing issues were discussed.

'One of the many issues that were informally discussed included the matter he now refers to.

'At the time he thanked the officers for discussing the matter with him and the appropriate and proportionate way that they dealt with the matter.'

Mr Yardley made his quip in October. He decided to speak out after reading how a Muslim charity accused Sir David Jason of making inappropriate remarks when he made a joke about Pakistanis last week.

The award-winning actor got into hot water when he asked: 'What do you call a Pakistani cloakroom attendant?' before delivering the punchline: 'Mahatma coat.'