Gemma Hayter (13 September 1982 – 8 August 2010) was an English disabled woman who was tortured and murdered by three people she considered her friends in #RugbyWarwickshire, England on 8 August 2010. Kathy McAteer, the chairperson of a commission investigating the circumstances of the murder, was paraphrased by Harvey Day of #BBCThree as stating that the case was a "#mateCrime".

I discovered that there is a term for Mate Crimes this year. I am still processing the number of times that I have been exploited in this way. I think though that it is something that should be taught to autistic children, because we autistics are the targets of mate crimes from a very young age.


Mate Crime - Autistic Truth

"Mate Crime is defined as the exploitation, abuse or theft from any person at risk from those they consider to be their friends. Those that commit such abuse or theft are often referred to as ‘fake friends’.

People with disabilities, particularly those with learning disabilities, are often the targets of this type of crime. In some cases victims of mate crime have been badly harmed or even killed."