- Published:
- Sunday 9 February 2020
One of those people is Noel.
"Max was singing an aria from La Traviata when the police arrived.
A few of the crowd managed to scramble and get away. I didn't.
I was the youngest person in the room. I was very naïve. I knew having sex with men was against the law but I didn't understand why it was a crime.
At the first hearing, I stood in the dock and the judge said, "You have been charged with the abominable crime of buggery. How do you plead?"
The maximum sentence was fifteen years.
The day-to-day routine inside Pentridge Prison was menacing and dangerous. And I was always worried about Mumma. She was abused by her next door neighbour for having a son like me.
Of course, I was crucified in the Melbourne press. Afterwards, only two people would talk to me. I couldn't go to dance class or get a job. I was a known criminal.
And it's ironic when I think about it.
Eventually I would have been forgiven by everyone if I had murdered Max, but no one could forgive me for having sex with him."