Street preacher ‘wrongfully arrested’ for homophobia
Street preacher Rob Hughes claims he was accused of homophobia and arrested.
The Christian preacher was arrested in Basildon, Essex in 2013. A video recording at the time showed him speaking about “the sin of the world” but he did not make any explicit reference to homosexuality.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, he claimed he had been falsely accused of homophobia by a woman who said she was gay, and offended by what he was saying.
Mr Hughes said: “I was interviewed by the police, they asked me a number of questions – ‘why were you out’, ‘what were you saying’, ‘did you say what the people said’ – I said ‘no’, of course.
“I was polite and courteous.
“I did say that ‘you have my dictaphone in your possession, you can listen to the recording, the audio, if you like’.
“They dismissed that. Not sure why, but I just continued with the interview, finished the questions.
“The whole experience left me feeling that street preachers – it’s now a case of being presumed guilty until found innocent, which is really the wrong way round.
“Christians should be gracious in the midst of persecution, but at the same time we have a right to submit a legal defence.”
