Former Disney actor on trial for enticing teens to have sex with him claims judge is biased against gay people
Former Disney actor Stoney Westmoreland who has been charged for inciting teenagers to have sex with him has claimed that the judge on the panel is biased against homosexuals, thus calling his trial unfair.
According to Deseret News, Westmoreland’s federal public defender Wendy Lewis has stated in court papers that the US District Judge Howard Neilson Jr. is partial towards her client, based on his past legal work.
Lewis further stated that "Nielson argued that homosexuality is a choice and that people who are homosexual can become heterosexual via conversion therapy," according to the reports.
She padded her argument by noting that a few members of Congress as well had opposed Neilson's appointment to the panel owing to his treatment of "gay people".
In response to Lewis' claims, Neilson wrote, "I can state categorically and unequivocally that I do not harbor any personal bias or prejudice concerning Mr. Westmoreland."
The court documents, however, observe Westmoreland as bisexual. Lewis wrote his homosexual lifestyle, mainly comprising the "distinctly nontraditional hook-up culture" will be part of the trial.
She further added, "The case will involve a detailed examination of the hook-up culture for homosexual men, how it works and what it means psychologically," establishing that several of her client's witnesses would be gay men.
Nearly a year ago, the former Disney actor was arrested for trying to have sex with a 13-year-old boy. Aged 48 at the time, Westmoreland connected with an underage boy on the dating app Grindr, only to realize that the profile was handled by an undercover detective in Salt Lake City.
Authorities stated that the former actor sent explicit pictures of himself and asked for the teenager's nude photos in return through the app.
He was taken off the Disney show following the arrest, dropping his role as the grandfather of a teenage character.