A Christian street preacher prosecuted after criticising Islam is celebrating a win for free speech after his case was thrown out by a judge this week.
At a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mr Recorder G Kelly dismissed the case against Karandeep Mamman, 33, on the grounds that the Crown Prosecution Service had failed to provide any evidence for the charges brought against him.
Mr Mamman was charged under section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 for causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm and distress after preaching in Walsall town centre on 14 January 2023.
While preaching, Mr Mamman had said that Islam represents a "wrong Jesus" because in the Quran he is described as a prophet, not the Son of God as Christians believe.
He also said that “Jesus in the Quran is not the true Jesus”, and that “according to the Quran Muhammad promoted hatred, terrorism and killing of Jews and Christians who do not convert”.
Mr Mamman said he was surrounded by a group of Muslims who threatened to take him away, beat him up and "cut his throat".
During the incident two men believed to be a same-sex couple ripped up a sign that the preacher had been holding that suggested homosexuality was a sin.
Lawyers for Mr Mamman from the Christian Legal Centre (CLC) said that he was followed around Walsall town centre by the group and that they would not let him go until officers arrived on the scene.
Although the officers checked his welfare, they later invited him to the station for a voluntary interview and eventually pressed charges against him.
Mr Mamman said he was "relieved" by the judge's decision to throw out the case.
“My aim always when preaching is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that all of us can only be saved if we follow His teaching," he said. “Often members of the public respond with significant hostility to the Bible’s moral clarity, but that does not make it a criminal offence.“It was intimidating to be attacked and surrounded by such an angry mob, but I was determined to stand my ground and not back down over my beliefs.“The authorities should have been protecting my personal safety and free speech rights. Instead, by prosecuting me they have encouraged members of the public that this is the appropriate approach to getting your way and shutting down the expression of beliefs that you don’t like."Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: “We are pleased that this case has gone no further, but it is very concerning that it got this far.“The CCTV footage reveals Karandeep being assaulted, threatened and surrounded, for expressing his Christian beliefs, yet it is he that ends up being prosecuted by the police.“There are growing concerns over whether the UK government and authorities are defending free speech in the public sphere. More must be done to protect free speech and cherished Christian freedoms in our town squares, not just in Walsall, but across the UK.”
