Christian preacher wins £13k after wrongful arrest for telling gay couple....

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ality-sin.html

Christian street preacher who was arrested and kept in cell for 19 hours without food after he told two gay men homosexuality is a sin paid £13,000 compensation by police

- John Craven, 57, sued for unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and human rights breach
- Told gay men in Manchester street: 'God hates sin but he loves sinner'
- He was arrested on public order offence but no action taken by police
- Christian group finances legal battle and police settle before court

A Christian preacher arrested and imprisoned without food and water after he told two gay teenagers the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, has won £13,000 in compensation for poor treatment by police.

John Craven, 57, says he was held by Greater Manchester Police after he told the couple 'God hates sin, but he loves the sinner'.

The young men then kissed in front of him and approached a police officer and claimed Mr Craven's comments were 'insulting' and had caused them 'harassment and distress.'

Mr Craven said he was 'grabbed roughly by the arm' on suspicion of public order offences and later denied food, water and access to medication for his rheumatoid arthritis while in custody for 19 hours.

He was later bailed before being told no action would be taken against him.

'I told them that according to the word of God homosexuality is an abomination. That is not my opinion it is the word of God. I quoted them Revelation chapter 21 verse 8,' he said.

'This made them very upset and they started to do obscene gestures to me. They were deliberately trying to provoke me.

'I have to be very careful in these sort of situations so I did not give my own opinion, I just gave God's word. But they said that I had taunted them and assaulted them verbally and before I knew it the police arrived. I couldn't believe it.

'I have had confrontations with people before when I have been speaking but never anything like this. I did remained calm and co-operative even though I was being handled very roughly by the police officer.'

Greater Manchester Police said the detention was 'necessary for a prompt and effective investigation' but Mr Craven sued the force for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and breach of his human rights.

Mr Craven has now been awarded £13,000 in compensation in an out-of-court settlement following a three-year battle, likely to also cost the taxpayer more than £50,000 in legal costs.

The settlement was agreed a few days before the civil case was due in court.

Well done to Mr Craven.

A small but heartening victory for free speech and English liberty. If you ask me, the people who ought to have been thrown in a prison cell are the moron politicians who bring in these laws and the Police with Little Man syndrome who enforce them to the letter.

Thoughts?

[Kardan]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ality-sin.html

Christian street preacher who was arrested and kept in cell for 19 hours without food after he told two gay men homosexuality is a sin paid £13,000 compensation by police

- John Craven, 57, sued for unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and human rights breach
- Told gay men in Manchester street: 'God hates sin but he loves sinner'
- He was arrested on public order offence but no action taken by police
- Christian group finances legal battle and police settle before court

Well done to Mr Craven.

A small but heartening victory for free speech and English liberty. If you ask me, the people who ought to have been thrown in a prison cell are the moron politicians who bring in these laws and the Police with Little Man syndrome who enforce them to the letter.

Thoughts?

What laws? He wasn't charged with anything? The article is just about the stupidity of the police officers.

Also I might go out and get a bible and start preaching infront of gay people if it will get me £13k

[The Don]

He looks exactly how I imagined. I can't stand people who shove religion in your face and go round preaching. I'm also not particularly surprised at the result since he was deprived of food for so long and then not charged with anything.

[-:Undertaker:-]

What laws? He wasn't charged with anything? The article is just about the stupidity of the police officers.

Also I might go out and get a bible and start preaching infront of gay people if it will get me £13k

The 1986 Act on 'offensive speech' that the article mentions.

I don't think we should have any laws against any form of speech, but maybe that's just intolerant old me.

He looks exactly how I imagined. I can't stand people who shove religion in your face and go round preaching.

I feel the same with Gay Pride parades.

[The Don]

What laws? He wasn't charged with anything? The article is just about the stupidity of the police officers.

Also I might go out and get a bible and start preaching infront of gay people if it will get me £13k

I'll join you, I need a new car!

- - - Updated - - -

I feel the same with Gay Pride parades.

Well that's understandable since they are a minority and generally have less rights (well up until yesterday). Christianity is the predominant religion in this country and it's unnecessary to go around telling people they are sinners or degrading people.

[Yawn]

glad he was starved for nearly 24hrs wat an irritating UGLY man

[-:Undertaker:-]

Well that's understandable since they are a minority and generally have less rights (well up until yesterday). Christianity is the predominant religion in this country and it's unnecessary to go around telling people they are sinners or degrading people.

I've never personally thought that dressing up in gimp suits, bondage chains and women was a way to bring public opinion on your side.

Talk about degrading people though, they do it themselves with the gay prides. Behaviour of the lowest order yet no shame.

[Kardan]

The 1986 Act on 'offensive speech' that the article mentions.

I don't think we should have any laws against any form of speech, but maybe that's just intolerant old me.



I feel the same with Gay Pride parades.

I think it's important to have a law over 'offensive speech', but as the police realised after they'd kept him in the cell for nearly a day, talking about your religion isn't classed as offensive speech.

[The Don]

I've never personally thought that dressing up in gimp suits, bondage chains and women was a way to bring public opinion on your side.

Talk about degrading people though, they do it themselves with the gay prides. Behaviour of the lowest order yet no shame.

Not everybody in gay parades wear bondage, gimp suits or anything of the sort, don't generalise everybody that attends them due to a minority. That's like me branding all christians homophobic bigots due to this one article you've posted.

Were those two men who were degraded by the preacher from the article participating in a gay parade or were you just generalising every gay person to rationalise and excuse such fowl behaviour?

[-:Undertaker:-]

I think it's important to have a law over 'offensive speech', but as the police realised after they'd kept him in the cell for nearly a day, talking about your religion isn't classed as offensive speech.

Well of course you do, because you are the so-called tolerant liberal who wants to shut down opinions you do not like using the law and i'm the nasty intolerant bigot who doesn't want to shut down any form of speech. What's new?

Not everybody in gay parades where bondage, gimp suits or anything of the sort, don't generalise everybody that attends them due to a minority. That's like me branding all christians homophobic bigots due to this one article you've posted.

It's largely a public display of sex and nudity which I regard as far worse than a preacher on the street reading out his Bible. But then again, in modern Britain it speaks volumes when gay pride parades (involving the stuff i've mentioned) are held as bastions of good and a man preaching from his Bible is deemed worthy of abuse and arrest. What a country we live in.

Were those two men who were degraded by the preacher from the article participating in a gay parade or were you just generalising every gay person to rationalise and excuse such fowl behaviour?

The two men were acting like intolerant bigots, absolutely - they seemingly couldn't understand that somebody would disagree with them or their lifestyle and attempted (in the end unsuccessfully) to get the law to arrest this poor man simply because of what he said.

I personally think that is foul and disgusting behaviour.