Operation Spanner

Operation Spanner was a police investigation into same-sex male sadomasochism across the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. The investigation, led by the Obscene Publications Squad of the Metropolitan Police, began in 1987 and ran for three years,^[1] during which approximately 100 gay and bisexual men were questioned by police.^[2]

The investigation culminated in a report naming 43 individuals, of whom the Director of Public Prosecutions chose to prosecute 16 men^[3] for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful wounding and other offences related to consensual, private sadomasochistic sex sessions held in various locations between 1978 and 1987.^[1]

A resulting House of Lords judgement, R v Brown, ruled that consent was not a valid legal defence for actual bodily harm in Britain.^[4]

The case sparked a national conversation about the limits of consent and the role of government in sexual encounters between consenting adults.^[5] It also spawned two activist organisations dedicated to promoting the rights of sadomasochists: Countdown on Spanner and The Sexual Freedom Coalition, and an annual SM Pride March through Central London.^[6] In 1996, Countdown on Spanner received the Large Nonprofit Organization of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.^[7]

^ ^a ^b Regina v Ian Wilkinson, Peter John Grindley, Colin Laskey, Anthony Joseph Brown, Graham William Cadman, Roland Leonard Jaggard, Saxon Lucas, Donald Peter Anderson (and others) (Central Criminal Court 1990).
^ Savage, Jon (29 January 1992). "Sex and martyrdom". The Observer.
^ Young, David (20 December 1990). "Leaders of vicious and perverted sex gang jailed". The Times.
^ MacKinnon, Ian (12 March 1993). "Lords reject appeals by sado-masochists". The Independent.
^ Kershaw, Alex (28 November 1992). "S&M: The limits of liberty". The Guardian.
^ Califia, Pat (September 1999). "Antidote to Shame". Out.
^ "Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients". The Leather Journal. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

[:0-1] Regina v Ian Wilkinson, Peter John Grindley, Colin Laskey, Anthony Joseph Brown, Graham William Cadman, Roland Leonard Jaggard, Saxon Lucas, Donald Peter Anderson (and others) (Central Criminal Court 1990).

[:1-2] Savage, Jon (29 January 1992). "Sex and martyrdom". The Observer.

[:11-3] Young, David (20 December 1990). "Leaders of vicious and perverted sex gang jailed". The Times.

[4] MacKinnon, Ian (12 March 1993). "Lords reject appeals by sado-masochists". The Independent.

[:2-5] Kershaw, Alex (28 November 1992). "S&M: The limits of liberty". The Guardian.

[6] Califia, Pat (September 1999). "Antidote to Shame". Out.

[7] "Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients". The Leather Journal. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

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