A gay man has been given a restraining order banning him from contacting a transman he sent transphobic abuse to on gay dating apps.
Paul Milana, 57, and the man first met on Grindr and Scruff about two years ago, but when Milana started calling him a tranny, the man blocked him.
But Milana, of Upper St James’s Street, Brighton, created another account which he used to send a barrage of transphobic abuse on August 2, 2020.
Prosecuting, Victoria Grey said the messages included calling the victim a fag hag, and a fat ugly tranny.
He also said that the transman would “get what’s coming to her”.
The victim asked Milana to stop, but the messages continued.
In a victim impact statement read out to court, the victim said: “I’m terrified that no matter how many times I block him I will never be able to socialise online with friends and people I want to without the risk of him starting on me again.
“It’s making me scared to access a really valuable support network during really tough times.
“I’m really worried about this, it clearly shows he has no intention of stopping what he’s doing and it makes me scared he’s going to do something in the real world.”
He added: “He’s not limiting himself to contacting just me, but other trans people have been affected.”
The victim also said he was now scared to go to The Gym on Madeira Drive because Milana also went there, and that his health had suffered as a result.
Milana was charged with two counts of sending offensive messages via a public communications network, on 17 June and August 2, 2020.
He was cleared of the first count but guilty of the second after a trial at Brighton Magistrates Court on 28 August, 2021.
Representing himself at the same court today, Milana showed no remorse for his language, insisting that it was the victim who had made contact with him.
He said: “What she said in her thing, I feel remorse for her. But my remarks were the truth.
“I was doing everything to stay away from her. She was contacting me. I was saying stop insisting I have sex with you.
“I have fought my whole lift for gay rights and for people to live the way they want. But you have to accept that fact that some people don’t want to have sex with you.”
Milana told the court he had lost his security licence and therefore his job at the Brighton Centre as a result of his arrest.
Chair of the bench Michael Sandeman gave Milana a 12 month community order and ordered him to carry out 60 hours unpaid work.
He was also given a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim, or publishing anything online about him.
He was also ordered to pay £500 costs, £95 victim surcharge and £100 compensation.
Milana has lodged a notice of appeal against his conviction.
