Cancer: Gay veteran sacked by RAF demands pension after diagnosis

An RAF veteran sacked for being gay has urged the government to pay his military pension after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Simon Hinchley-Robson accused the government of dragging its feet and insisted compensation or his pension be paid "sooner rather than later".

Aged 21 in 1986 he was a cook at RAF Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, when his bosses discovered he was gay.

After four days' interrogation, he was discharged.

He never received an apology or his armed forces pension.

Evidence of Mr Hinchley-Robson's treatment was read out in Parliament by his MP Clive Efford.

Ministers advised he contact the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to make a pension claim.

The government has set up an independent review into how LGBT armed forces personnel were treated before the year 2000, when a ban on gay people serving was lifted.

Mr Hinchley-Robson, now 58 and living with husband Dave in Blackheath, London, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May.

He's called for help from ministers to reinstate his full pension to get his "house in order".

He said: "The day that (cancer diagnosis) happened, both me and Dave, we just fell to pieces. It was as if our whole world just fell in on us.

"As if we hadn't gone through enough, to be told that, it's just not fair.

"The first thing that I wanted to do was sort of get my house in order, in case it went the wrong way."

He wanted to make sure his family were provided for if his treatment failed.

"They need to be provided for by my pension," Mr Hinchley-Robson said.

"If I was in the RAF now and I was diagnosed with this and I was discharged, they would give me my pay-out and make sure my pension was there. So what's the difference?"

The independent review, chaired by Britain's first openly gay senior judge, Lord Etherton, will run until next May.

A website outlining its terms said the government will "decide what action it wishes to take" after it finishes. This could include compensation.

Mr Hinchley-Robson said: "Whether it is compensation or my pension, I want them to do it sooner rather than later.

"I think it's about time that the government did something, they are really dragging their feet."

In January, Labour MP for Eltham Mr Efford shared Mr Hinchley-Robson's experience of becoming ill and requesting an Aids test while in the RAF in 1986.

The test request was taken as an admission of being gay.

On returning to base from a civilian hospital, Mr Hinchley-Robson was arrested by the special investigation branch of the RAF police.

In evidence read in the Commons by Mr Efford, Mr Hinchley-Robson said what happened next was "the most horrendous and awful experience (that) no-one should ever have to endure".

He was repeatedly strip-searched and denied food and sleep over four days.

On refusing to name anyone in the services he had had a relationship with he was assaulted.

Mr Efford described what happened as "torture for being gay".

He said the government must get on with the review with the aim of paying compensation.

"It is unacceptable, the slowness of the response from the government on issues of this kind," Mr Efford said.

"It is unfair on people, and this seems to be another case where the government is just glacial."

Justice delayed is justice denied, he said.

"Simon clearly has a very powerful story to tell," said Mr Efford.

"The government really should not be dragging its feet in responding to someone in his situation, regardless of his illness, but his illness obviously adds more urgency."

The joint chief executive of LGBT forces charity Fighting with Pride, Craig Jones, hoped the review would "quickly" bring support for Mr Hinchley-Robson.

He said: "Simon's treatment at the point he was in the armed forces was truly shocking, and like many veterans from that era, what happened to Simon has had a profound effect throughout his life.

"He is unwell and we have a great deal of sympathy for his circumstances, and we hope that the independent review can quickly bring hope and support."

The MoD said it did not retrospectively pay pensions for time not served.

A spokesman said: "The historic treatment of LGBT personnel in the armed forces was wrong and we are actively looking at the best way to ensure all members of our veterans and serving community feel supported, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

"We are committed to ensuring that every veteran is valued for their service, including those veterans who were affected by the pre-2000 ban."