Patrick Sookhdeo found not guilty of indecent assault

Dr Patrick Sookhdeo, founder of the Barnabas Fund, has been found not guilty of indecent assault at his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Patrick Sookhdeo outside Swindon Crown Court earlier this year. SWNS

He was arrested in November 2015 at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of an assault on a woman in Plaistow, East London, in 1977, following an investigation by detectives from Newham borough.

Sookhdeo founded Barnabas Fund, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, in 1993. He was found guilty in February 2015 of a sexual assault on a woman in his office. He was also found guilty of intimidating witnesses in the case. He was given three-month community sentences for each offence and told to pay costs and a victim surcharge. At his conviction then, the judge said: 'You will be hugely punished by these convictions and your life will change for good.'

Sookhdeo resigned from the Barnabas International Aid charity after the conviction. However, the board declined to accept his resignation as its international director and he was quickly reinstated as a trustee.

He resigned as a trustee of Barnabas Aid International and from his positions as international director and chief executive of Barnabas Fund in November 2015 following his arrest on the charge on which he has now been acquitted.

News
Bible Society withdraws 'Quiet Revival' report as it admits data was 'faulty'
Bible Society withdraws 'Quiet Revival' report as it admits data was 'faulty'

Bible Society said the Quiet Revival report "can no longer be regarded as a reliable source of information about the spiritual landscape in Britain". 

Päivi Räsänen 'shocked and profoundly disappointed' after being convicted over pamphlet
Päivi Räsänen 'shocked and profoundly disappointed' after being convicted over pamphlet

Finnish MP Päivi Räsänen has been criminally convicted for publishing a pamphlet in which she expressed a traditional view of marriage and sexuality. 

Landmark ruling expected in Finnish politician's Bible tweet case
Landmark ruling expected in Finnish politician's Bible tweet case

Päivi Räsänen's legal counsel has said the stakes are "extremely high".

The glaring absences from the Archbishop of Canterbury's installation
The glaring absences from the Archbishop of Canterbury's installation

Sadly, Wednesday’s installation, glorious as it appeared in all its pomp and ceremony, was not a “truly global” gathering.