Two Christian street preachers have been cleared of all charges.
This was after they were arrested by the police in Basildon and Hereford respectively, it was reported in late May.
Basildon
Rob Hughes was arrested in Basildon on 4 September last year after a confrontation with a member of the public who wrongly accused him of using homophobic and offensive language.
Despite clear evidence to the contrary, Rob was arrested by police and held in custody for 11 hours. During this time he was interviewed, a DNA sample was taken as well as his finger prints and a photograph. Rob was finally released just before midnight after police said they wouldn’t press charges due to insufficient evidence.
Breach of human rights
Rob has received £2,500 and a contribution towards his legal fees for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and breach of his human rights as part of an out-of-court settlement.
In his account of the incident, he noted that the woman whom he encountered whilst speaking accused him of being judgmental. He countered by telling her that she was ‘a hypocrite’ and it was after this that he was approached by a police officer and arrested.
Hereford
Andrew Geuter was arrested in Hereford on 23 April 2015 following a complaint made by a member of the public who wrongly accused him of making homophobic comments. Having spent five hours in police custody, Andrew was released on conditional bail. The police later informed him that they would not take further action, again due to insufficient evidence.
Andrew had been preaching in Hereford once a week for 11 years and during this time has experienced no trouble or complaints. He commented that for a man who has never even received a parking ticket the prospect of having a criminal record was ‘extremely disturbing’.
Andrew’s wife, Caroline, said that, ‘It’s been wonderful knowing we had support and knowing we weren’t alone.’
