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Win for street preacher as ‘misgendering’ conviction overturned

A judge has overturned the conviction of a Christian street preacher who was arrested and reported to Prevent for ‘misgendering’ a member of the public. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dave McConnell, 42, from Wakefield, was appealing a conviction today at Leeds Crown Court after he was arrested under section 4A of the Public ...

9 March 2023   Articles

Another street preacher victory after police arrest for ‘hate speech’

A Christian preacher who was arrested for criticising Muhammad and Buddha has been found not guilty following a court hearing. Shaun O’Sullivan, 32, who has been supported by the Christian Legal Centre, was arrested in Swindon town centre on 11 March 2020, for alleged ‘hate speech’ and causing harassment, alarm and distress. Last month, however, ...

3 November 2022   Articles

Bristol street preachers win permission to appeal over police arrests

Four Christian preachers have won the right to appeal a judgment that ruled they had been lawfully arrested for preaching in Bristol City Centre. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the four preachers – Mike Overd, Don Karns, Mike Stockwell and AJ Clarke – had originally brought claims against Avon and Somerset police for: assault, false ...

19 October 2021   Articles

Victory as magistrates rule street preachers were free to evangelise in lockdown

London magistrates have thrown out a case against a Christian preacher, who was fined and prosecuted by the Metropolitan police for evangelising on Good Friday, 2020. Joshua Sutcliffe, 31, along with one socially distanced friend, was preaching and handing out leaflets in Camden, North London, on 10 April 2020 when the two of them were ...

23 July 2021   Articles

Police issue first street preacher pay out for heavy handedness during lockdown

A Christian charity leader has been given the first lockdown related compensation award from Dorset police after being manhandled and unlawfully prevented from preaching on the back of his truck. With thanks to support from the Christian Legal Centre, police have now paid street preacher Dominic Muir, 44, £1,250 in damages and costs. Police mounted ...

26 October 2020   Articles

Crazy cathedrals and stately street preachers

Christian Concern Communications Manager, Paul Huxley, comments on Norwich Cathedral’s recent decision to install a helter skelter ride in its nave. What’s wrong with putting crazy golf courses and helter skelters in cathedrals? The decision of Norwich Cathedral to install a helter skelter in its nave has ignited debate about the role of cathedrals in ...

12 August 2019   Articles

Police payout after Christian street preacher arrest

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, a Christian street preacher has been offered £2,500 in exemplary damages from the Metropolitan Police in relation to his false arrest, imprisonment and unlawful detention. In February, a video showing the aggressive arrest of Pastor Oluwole Ilesanmi (64) was watched by millions around the world, prompting outrage. Officers were ...

28 July 2019   Articles

Britain’s ‘most arrested’ street preacher wins free speech victory

In a victory for freedom of speech, Britain’s ‘most arrested’ street preacher, Mike Overd, has walked free from conviction after his fifth prosecution. With four previous prosecutions – and no convictions – street preacher Mike Overd was accused in January of this year of ‘offending’ members of the public and charged with ‘anti-social behaviour’. However, ...

4 April 2019   Articles

Government challenged over arrest of street preacher

In response to the arrest of street preacher Olu, written questions have been raised to the government, find out what was said below. The arrest of street preacher Oluwole on Saturday 23rd February outside Southgate Tube station prompted outrage on social media as the video quickly went viral. Watch our video reconstruction of the arrest: Read ...

15 March 2019   Articles

Police caught out by street preacher evidence

The video of the arrest of Pastor Oluwole Ilesanmi has sparked outrage from Christians and non-Christians alike across the UK and the globe. But the story does not end with his arrest, it gets worse. Here Christian Concern’s Tim Dieppe explains what happened and how the actions of the police have been exposed. Viral video ...

12 March 2019   Articles

Video of Christian street preacher arrest goes viral

On Saturday 23 February, Oluwole Ilesanmi, a Christian street preacher and former dentist, was arrested outside Southgate tube station in London for ‘breaching the peace’. The police have said that they were called by a member of the public who had complained that the preacher was being ‘Islamophobic’ as he shared the gospel with passers-by. ...

28 February 2019   Articles

Two street preachers questioned over hate speech have all charges dropped

David Barker, who has been a street preacher for 30 years, and Stephen Wan were cleared with the help of the Christian Legal Centre. As they were preaching, a number of hecklers gathered and made trouble for the preachers. It was alleged that the preachers said “homosexuals are going to hell” and “man cannot lie ...

16 January 2018   Articles

Another street preacher cleared of all charges

Another street preacher was cleared of a public order offence charge last week at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court. Only a week after Mike Overd and Michael Stockwell’s public order convictions were overturned at Bristol Crown Court, another preacher has been acquitted of a public order offence charge. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Andrew Frost was ...

13 July 2017   Articles

Christian street preachers acquitted of public order offences

Two Christian street preachers have today been acquitted of public order offences, after being convicted in February in what was described as a “modern day heresy trial”. Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell were found guilty under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 at Bristol Magistrates’ Court in February this year, with Prosecutor Ian Jackson claiming that ...

29 June 2017   Articles

Why we must protect our street preachers

The Christian Legal Centre’s Roger Kiska comments on two street preachers being convicted of public order offences for quoting the Bible. February 28, 2017 was a historic day in the United Kingdom as two street preachers, Michael Overd and Michael Stockwell, were convicted for comments they made while publicly preaching the gospel in Bristol. While ...

3 March 2017   Articles

Street preacher appeals conviction for ‘misgendering’

A Christian lettings agent who became the first street preacher to be prosecuted and reported to counter-terrorism for alleged ‘misgendering’, is set to appeal his conviction this week at Leeds Crown Court. Dave McConnell, 42, from Wakefield, was reported by the Probation Service to the government’s counter-terrorism watchdog, Prevent, after he was arrested under section 4A Public ...

7 March 2023   Articles

Street preachers share powerful testimonies of finding Christ

The Bible was once revered in the courtroom; now it’s accused of being ‘abusive’ and ‘no longer appropriate in modern society’. With thanks to support from the Christian Legal Centre, two street preachers have recently won their cases, having both been accused of ‘hate speech’ after quoting the Bible and explaining who God is. Freedom ...

5 December 2022   Articles

Street preacher wins Easter Sunday Covid arrest case

After a two-year legal battle, a Crown Court Judge has vindicated a Christian volunteer worker who was arrested, detained in a police cell and issued with a Covid fine for preaching and supporting the homeless during lockdown. On Easter Sunday 2020, Andrew Sathiyavan, 47, was confronted by London Metropolitan police officers on Sutton High Street, ...

30 May 2022   Articles

Street preacher to appeal Easter Sunday covid fine after police arrest

Today, a Christian volunteer is appealing a covid fine he received after being arrested for preaching and supporting the homeless on Easter Sunday 2020. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Andrew Sathiyavan, 47, will appeal the ruling of Deputy District Judge Minhas at Isleworth Crown Court, which upheld the issuing of the fine and said ...

24 May 2022   Articles

Street preacher wins legal case after false allegations

The first Christian woman to face trial for street preaching since a landmark free speech case in 1997 has been told there was ‘no case to answer’ by a district judge. Hazel Lewis, 49, was arrested while preaching a biblical message outside Finsbury Park tube station in North London on 12 February 2020, after false ...

9 August 2021   Articles

Street preacher: ‘I was treated like a potential criminal’

A Christian charity leader has been given the first lockdown related compensation award from police after being manhandled and unlawfully prevented from preaching on the back of his truck. The incident, involving Dominic Muir, 44, a chief executive of registered Christian charities, Now Believe and Jesus Fields, took place in Blandford Forum town centre in ...

26 October 2020   Articles

Street preacher remains free to share the gospel

Yesterday, the Christian Legal Centre supported street preacher Mike Overd in a High Court case where police tried to impose severe restrictions on his freedom to preach in the streets of Avon and Somerset. Mike Overd has been preaching publicly ever since he became a Christian in the early 2000s. Compelled by love to share ...

6 October 2020   Articles

Street preacher wins freedom to keep preaching the gospel

UK police department Avon and Somerset Police, were seeking restrictions on Christian street preacher Mike Overd with a civil injunction application, claiming that he ‘puts lives at risk’. On Monday 5 October Avon and Somerset Police argued at a High Court hearing that Mike could cause “significant risk or harm to others.” The application for ...

5 October 2020   Articles

Street preachers convicted in ‘modern-day heresy trial’

Two street preachers have today been convicted of a public order offence, after a public prosecutor claimed that publicly quoting parts of the King James Bible in modern Britain should “be considered to be abusive and is a criminal matter”. Prosecutor Ian Jackson also told the court that “although the words preached are included in ...

28 February 2017   Articles
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