Christian preacher vindicated after arrest, prosecution and ‘non-crime hate incident’ threat for questioning Quran
26 July 2025 Issued by: Christian ConcernChristian street preacher, John Steele, has been vindicated after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped charges against him following his arrest in Rotherham town centre for asking a member of the public what the Quran says about domestic violence.
The incident, captured on police body cam footage, which led to Mr. Steele being detained and threatened with a ‘non-crime hate incident,’(NCHI) will spark widespread and escalating concern over policing priorities and the erosion of Christian freedom in the UK.
The story reveals embedded two-tier policing in Rotherham, where over many years South Yorkshire Police have failed to act on the systematic rape of young girls by predominantly Islamic men, but on this occasion swiftly arrested a Christian preacher for asking a question about the Quran.
The story also sheds further light on policing and community cohesion in Rotherham after it was revealed that a Labour activist, Muhbeen Hussain, awarded an MBE for services to “integration” called for Muslims in Rotherham who refused to boycott the police following the town’s grooming scandal to themselves be “boycotted by the Muslim community.”
John Steele, 60, who is being supported by lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, is a former miner and long-serving bus driver. He was arrested on 21 June 2025 after engaging in a 30-second conversation with a Muslim woman wearing a hijab at a public awareness stall offering support to ethnic minorities/Pakistani women experiencing domestic abuse.
Mr. Steele, who has preached the gospel in public spaces for 25 years without incident, asked using a small microphone in Rotherham town centre how Islamic teachings on wife-beating could be reconciled with the stall’s message.
He was referring to the controversial verse in Quran 4:34 which says: “Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge them. Then if they obey you, seek not a way against them. Lo! Allah is ever High, Exalted, Great.” (Pickthall translation)
The Pickthall translation is regarded as the most faithful translation of the Quran in English.
Mr Steele then shared with the woman how, in comparison, Paul the Apostle commands Christians to love their wives in the same way that Jesus loves the Church (Ephesians 5:25).
He said he shared what he did to offer hope and understanding, as it is well-known that the majority of Muslim women do not engage with or learn some of the Quran’s concerning teachings.
Despite the brief and non-threatening nature of the exchange, an hour later he was surrounded by four police officers demanding his personal details and threatened him with arrest if he failed to comply.
The motivation for getting Mr Steele’s details appears to be to record a NCHI against his name. (see notes to editors for more on NCHIs).
Revealed: Police body cam footage
In the body-worn video footage of the arrest Mr Steele can be seen holding a banner quoting verses from the Book of Acts and 1 Timothy.
“The world has gone mad”, Mr Steele said.
“This is the world we live in”, the police officer responded, and added: “I think it was your delivery.”
“I asked a simple question”, Mr Steele said calmly and politely.
The police officer said, however, that his question was ‘anti-social’, and therefore: “Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 allows a uniformed police officer to require a person to provide their name and address if they have reason to believe that the person is or has been engaging in anti-social behaviour…If you don’t provide your details… we have a power of arrest to obtain those details.”
“I haven’t behaved in an anti-social behaviour [manner]”, Mr Steele said.
“That’s your opinion”, the officer snaps back.
“We are recording an incident”, a female officer interjected. “That incident is a hate incident. We require details to report that.”
“I am not admitting to something I have not done” Mr Steele said, “what you are doing is threatening me.”
The police said: “We’re saying you behaved in an anti-social manner because [the Muslim woman’s] felt harassed, alarmed or distressed by your behaviour.”
Referring to the decision in June by MPs to make it lawful to allow abortion up-to-birth, Mr Steele said: “Can you go and arrest all of them in Parliament? They’ve caused me alarm and distress.”
“We are dealing with this right now” the officers respond in unison.
After being told he is not guilty of a hate crime, Mr Steele asked: “So what is it going down as?”
“A non-crime hate incident”, the police officers respond.
“I’m not hating anybody,” Mr Steele responded, “why should I have something against me that I haven’t done?”
“She says she has been harassed, alarmed and distressed by your behaviour”, the officer said.
“Does that make me guilty?” Mr Steele asks.
“No”, the police officer said.
As an aside, a female police officer then said to another officer: “common sense might prevail when we do lock him up.”
Refusing to give his details, he was arrested under Section 50 of the Police Reform Act 2002 and led away to a police car. Taken to the police station, he was detained, fingerprinted, and DNA-swabbed.
A court date was set, but the Crown Prosecution Service has since discontinued the case, stating that prosecution was “not needed in the public interest.”
‘I’ve spent 25 years trying to help people understand Jesus’ love’
Commenting on his experience and vindication, Mr Steele said:
“I’ve spent my life trying to help people find hope and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. I’ve seen the devastation caused by abuse, and I wanted to speak truth in love. Instead, I was treated like a criminal.”
Mr Steele himself has a back story of Christian redemption. A former heavy drinker and militant during the 1984 miners’ strike, he became a born-again Christian in 1987 after reading Psalm 7. Since then, he has dedicated his life to sharing the gospel, often at personal cost.
On what it was like being arrested, he said: “I was shocked and gobsmacked. How can asking a question be labelled as hate?
“Hate is a strong word. If I haven’t done anything wrong, why was I treated like a criminal? I couldn’t get my head round it.
“It was degrading. They took my DNA and fingerprints, for what? A 30-second conversation.
“This wasn’t about me. It’s about the erosion of our hard-won freedoms and the right to speak truth in love.
“I’ve never been arrested in 25 years. I wasn’t there to cause trouble, I was there out of love, to share hope and to help people understand the love of Christ.
“When I heard the charges were dropped, I was relieved, but also angry. So much time, energy, and stress wasted for nothing.
“I go out because people are hurting. I won’t let fear silence the gospel.
“This country was built on the Bible. We need boldness and must not be intimidated in this hour.”
Police undermining public trust
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, condemned the police’s actions, saying:
“We welcome the fact that this case has now been dropped, but it should never have progressed as far as it did.
“This is a clear and disturbing example of two-tier policing. It is both irrational and unlawful for officers to threaten members of the public with so-called ‘non-crime hate incidents’ simply for expressing lawful and peaceful views.
“The irony could not be more striking: a Christian preacher is arrested for questioning Islamic beliefs in the very town where police failed for years to protect vulnerable girls from Islamic grooming gangs.
“South Yorkshire Police are once again undermining public trust. We will be investigating whether a ‘hate incident’ has been wrongly recorded against John’s name, despite his complete vindication.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Further information
For more information and interviews, please contact: tom.allen@christianconcern.com / 07974304620.
What are Non-Crime Hate Incidents?
Non-Crime Hate Incidents (NCHIs) are defined by the UK College of Policing as:
“Any non-crime incident which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender status.”
Crucially, no evidence is required, and no crime needs to have occurred. If someone feels offended or distressed, police are instructed to record the incident, often placing it on the individual’s police record despite no crime having been committed.
Weaponisation and Abuse
Over 250,000 NCHIs have been recorded in England and Wales since 2014—an average of 68 per day.
Critics argue that NCHIs are being weaponised to silence dissent, especially on controversial or religious topics.
Campaigners have warned that this practice is being used to “pander to politically correct causes” and target Christians disproportionately.
For evidence, see the high-profile stories and cases of Harry Miller, Allison Pearson and the ongoing Christian Legal Centre case of Victoria Culf.
Despite Harry Miller’s landmark High Court win against the College of Policing on the use of NCHIs, the police are continuing to use them against innocent members of the public.
Images and video
Police body cam footage: https://youtu.be/UaFdMb76Xms
Stills from body cam footage
https://mcusercontent.com/bed173cc9adfcad1e0e442a35/_compresseds/37020487-aa61-a626-517d-c8879209c80f.jpg
https://mcusercontent.com/bed173cc9adfcad1e0e442a35/_compresseds/ded186cd-bb88-d9b8-23cd-130620b946e2.jpg
