Street preachers arrested for ‘Islamophobic sermon’ to appear in court
Categories: Latest News
Thursday December 08 2016
Avon and Somerset police have said in a statement that four street preachers arrested in Bristol city centre in July over an “anti-Muslim sermon” and charged with a religiously aggravated public order offence are due to appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court today.
The four men were arrested in Broadmead, in Bristol, on 6 July after officers were alerted to their street sermons which made disparaging references to Muslims and minorities. Among comments allegedly made by the preachers that were reported at the time include “Allah does not exist” and “all Muslims will burn in hell”.
Avon and Somerset police stated last month that the Crown Prosecution Service had authorised charging the four men with an “offence under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.”
Avon and Somerset police released the names of the men that have been charged as: Michael Overd, 52, of Taunton; Adrian Clark, 51, of Bristol, Don Karns, 63, of New England, USA and 50 year-old Michael Stockwell, of Selden, New York, USA.
Michael Overd was previously charged with two offences of using threatening and abusive words, and a third of causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress after members of the public complained about the content of his public sermons on Taunton High Street in June and July 2014.
Overd was accused of making offensive comments of a homophobic and Islamophobic nature including disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad. Overd was convicted of one charge of using threatening and abusive words for making homophobic comments while preaching but was cleared of a second similar charge and the charge of causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress for his disparaging remarks about the Prophet Muhammad in March 2015.
The four men will appear before Bristol Magistrates’ Court today.