A former Manchester Councillor and Mayor will now be allowed to reclaim any confiscated medals he won during his service.
It comes after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Tuesday that those who were wrongly sacked – prior to a change in policy in 2000 that allowed previously-banned gay people to serve – will now be able to reclaim medals that were confiscated from them.
The MoD said it wanted to address a “historical wrong”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson added that: “Those who serve in our Armed Forces deserve every recognition for their service [and] it was a very great injustice that this was denied to some members simply because of their sexuality.
“I hugely welcome the fact we can now address this historic wrong.”
Carl Austin-Behan OBE – who served on Manchester City Council from 2011-2018, and was the city’s first openly gay Lord Mayor in 2016-2017 – joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1991 when he was 19 years old, and had a busy career that included saving a fellow pilot from a burning aircraft, which subsequently saw him commended for his actions in the Queen’s Honours list of 1991.
But in 1997, he was called in to see senior RAF personnel and the RAF police.
Carl Austin-Behan
Speaking to Sky News about the moment dismissed from service, Mr Austin-Behan said: “When they asked if I was a homosexual I knew my life was about to change.
“I know I could’ve said ‘no’ but there comes a point in time when you have to be true to yourself [and] as they began to ask me again, I broke down crying before they could finish. Within a day, I lost the job that I had signed up to for 20 years, lost my home and lost all my friends.
“I felt like I’d let everyone down [and] my life just tumbled around me.
“Due to my exemplary service record, the awards I received, and the charity work I’d undertaken, they decided to suspend me from duty rather than send me to military prison, which was still an option [and] I was marched off camp within an hour, just enough time to be able to throw everything I had into boxes, which the RAF would deliver to an address of my choice.”
Mr Austin-Behan – who is currently the deputy lord lieutenant of Greater Manchester, and trustee of the LGBT+ veterans’ charity Fighting With Pride – took to Twitter to say the move was “welcomed” and that he hoped it would be the start of “a long-overdue support package for our LGBT veterans who were discharged due to their sexuality”.
Following yesterday’s groundbreaking move, veterans minister Johnny Mercer apologised for the historic policy, saying: “Where we have had discriminatory policies like this, I apologise [and] I hope today’s announcement will go some way – clearly it will never go all the way – to redressing the pain caused over the years by the policy of discriminating against the LGBT community.”
A statement on the gov.uk website reads: “Prior to 2000, a number of armed forces personnel were discharged from service on the basis of their sexuality.
“Some received convictions under specified legislation for homosexual behaviour that has now been de-criminalised, while others were discharged solely on the basis of their sexuality, without any conviction.
“In the course of their discharge, some personnel either forfeited medals directly, or were prevented from continuing to serve and thus denied the ability to regain medals that might previously have been forfeited for unrelated reasons.
“The MoD is committed to addressing this historical wrong and is introducing a policy which enables individuals to apply to have their medals restored.”
Under the scheme, affected former personnel can apply to have their case reviewed by the defence council, with successful applicants receiving a new medal from the MoD’s Medal Office, and relatives of affected ex-military members who have since died are also able to apply for a review.
You can find more information via the Ministry of Defence website here.
News
All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend
Emily Sergeant
All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.
Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.
Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am.
Manchester will be marking Armed Forces Day 2025 this weekend with a 'poignant' military parade through the city centre. 🎖🥁
You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm.
Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.
This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.
All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network
And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.
Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.
To mark Armed Forces Day, we're offering free travel this weekend (28-29 June) for military personnel and veterans across bus and tram services in Greater Manchester.
“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
“It’s a special weekend and one we’re proud to get behind,” Danny concluded.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
News
Stockport paedophile jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in early 2000s
Emily Sergeant
A prolific paedophile has been sentenced after admitting to ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s.
Christopher Oates, from Stockport, has been brought to justice this week after he subjected vulnerable girls to what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has referred to as a ‘campaign’ of violence and sexual abuse 20 years ago.
The court heard how the 45-year-old groomed one of the survivors from when she was just 14 years old, by providing her with a false sense of security, paying her compliments, and pretending to be her boyfriend, all before he proceeded to ply her with drugs, gifts, and affection, and using the trust and control he gained to persuade her to start sex work on the streets of Manchester.
When the teenage victim began to doubt his intentions and asked to go home, Oates dragged her down an alleyway, violently attacked her, and threatened her with a gun, stating: ‘You do as I say, you’re mine now,’ commanding her to go to her ‘spot’.
It was this incident that prompted the teenager to confide in her mother and support services, and from here, found the strength to move forward with her life, while still courageously supporting the police investigation.
#JAILED | Paedophile sentenced to 13 years for abusing teenage girls and committing a catalogue of crimes uncovered by detectives pic.twitter.com/yFKNtFmy6Z
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 26, 2025
From this investigation, detectives were then able to identify a second teenage victim, a 17-year-old, who Oates also coerced into sex work.
The two victims recall Oates taking them to a designated spot in central Manchester at least once a week to carry out sex acts in cars for money.
Oates would supply both victims with cocaine and alcohol, and even pressured them to take crack cocaine and heroin, aiming to build an addiction and increase their dependency on him.
In April 2024, Oates pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children, taking indecent images of children, and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, as well as pleading to the production of cannabis and two counts of possessing an identity document with improper intent.
After being remanded into custody, on 5 September 2024, Oates was postal charged with possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, three counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 years old, and two counts causing / inciting a child aged 13-17 years to prostitution.
A paedophile from Stockport has been jailed after ‘grooming, exploiting, and coercing’ teenage girls in the early 2000s / Credit: GMP
In March earlier this year on the fourth day of his trial, Oates admitted to the offences, and this week (25 June 2025), he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for all his crimes.
“I would like to commend the two women at the centre of this case for the strength they demonstrated throughout our investigation and subsequent legal proceedings,” commented Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Eleanor Humphreys, from GMP’s CSE Major Investigations Team, as Oates was sentenced this week.
“It has been an arduous process for them to relieve the horrific abuse, and I am so grateful they placed their trust and confidence in our team to pursue justice.
“Their resilience and determination were the driving force behind reaching today’s outcome, where a dangerous man begins serving a lengthy sentence behind bars, far away from causing any more harm or misery.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2021 
