A Christian street preacher has been acquitted after being prosecuted for distributing a tract about Sodom and Gomorrah in London’s Soho district.
Richard Johnson, 72, said he had been handing out Christian literature on a range of biblical subjects in Soho, with most of the material unrelated to homosexuality. During the incident last year, two men confronted him and told him to “get out of Soho,” prompting him to leave because he feared for his safety.
Johnson was later charged under the Public Order Act 1986 after two men complained about a tract referencing the biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The account in Genesis describes God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sin and includes an episode in which the men of Sodom seek to sexually assault the angelic visitors staying with Lot.
One complainant argued that Soho was a “safe space” for LGBT people and that Johnson therefore should not have been permitted to distribute material expressing those views.
At a Sept. 4 trial, Johnson was acquitted after the court found that although some people may have considered the tract offensive or distressing, prosecutors had not established a criminal offense. The court also found that Johnson had made no threats of violence and rejected the suggestion that Soho was subject to a separate legal standard. A defense costs order was also granted.
Following the verdict, Johnson said: “After nearly two years of having this hanging over me, I am glad to be free. I do this because I really love LGBT people and I want them to go to Heaven and not Hell. Love is telling people the truth, even if people are offended by the message.”
Johnson received legal support from the Christian Legal Centre, whose chief executive, Andrea Williams, welcomed the court’s decision.
“Richard Johnson should never have endured nearly two years with a criminal prosecution hanging over him simply for peacefully distributing a Christian Gospel tract,” she said.
“The prosecution’s reliance on Soho being an LGBT ‘safe space’ was deeply troubling. No part of London can become a censorship zone in which lawful Christian beliefs are subjected to a different standard because some people find them offensive. Freedom of religion and freedom of expression belong to everyone, everywhere.”
