Mike Overd, a Christian street preacher, won his appeal against a public order conviction on 11 December.
Sitting at Taunton Crown Court, Circuit Judge David Ticehurst upheld Michael Overd’s appeal, after the Crown failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the conviction. Mr Overd was convicted of a public order offence in March, following a conversation with a man self-identifying as homosexual, who objected to Mr Overd’s preaching.
Mr Overd welcomed the court’s decision. He said: ‘I give thanks to God for today’s vindication. In this country we are now in the ludicrous situation where the slightest accusation of a “phobia”, be it homophobia or Islamophobia, is enough to paralyse rational action by the police and authorities. The highly politicised dogma of “phobias” now too often results in trumped-up charges and legal action.
‘Aren’t we all sinners?’
‘My motivation in all my preaching is to share God’s message of love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. To do that I have to talk about the reality of life, including our sinfulness.’
During the trial, when the main prosecution witness said he wasn’t a sinner, the judge asked: ‘Aren’t we all sinners?’ The same witness complained against Mr Overd that others do not say people are good or bad. But the judge interjected ‘I do that.’ Another main witness for the prosecution said he was offended. The judge said: ‘We can be offended by anything, even someone’s tie. If it was an offence to be offended, I would be a witness a lot of the time.’
Mr Overd, who regularly preaches on the streets of Taunton, was supported by the Christian Legal Centre and was represented in court by allied solicitor Michael Phillips.
