Priest regrets call for sodomy tattoos on gays

A clergyman who said gay men should have sodomy warnings tattooed on their bodies issued a "full and complete" apology today.

The Rev Peter Mullen said: "I realise that the remarks were injudicious and I have caused offence.

"I was not actually meaning to criticise individual homosexual persons, but the promoters of gay culture."

Mr Mullen, 66, who is rector of St Michael's, Cornhill, and St Sepulchre-without-Newgate in the City of London, made the comments about homosexual practices on his internet blog.

He wrote: "Let us make it obligatory for homosexuals to have their backsides tattooed with the slogan 'Sodomy can seriously damage your health' and their chins with 'Fellatio kills'."