Arrested Bristol street preacher 'had right to be offensive'

The preachers were arrested while addressing a crowd at the Broadmead Shopping Centre in July 2016

A street preacher who was arrested as he delivered sermons to shoppers "had the right to be offensive", a court has heard.

AJ Clarke is one of four preachers who have brought claims against Avon and Somerset Police.

They had been addressing a crowd outside Broadmead Shopping Centre in Bristol in July 2016.

Barrister Ian Daniels, representing the men, said Mr Clarke was exercising his freedom of expression.

Avon and Somerset Police officer Stephen Powell told Bristol County Court that Mr Clarke and the other preachers had made "inflammatory remarks about gays and Muslims".

The officer described a large crowd gathering which had become "very angry", and was "gesturing and filming".

PC Powell said the "only option" he had was to arrest the preacher to remove him from the area for his own safety, and to conduct a "prompt and effective" investigation into the incident.

'Infringement of liberty'

He believed "they did not have the right to upset other people", and said he had "reasonable grounds" to arrest Mr Clarke under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.

Mr Daniels disagreed and said the preachers "had the right to be offensive", and the arrest of Mr Clarke was "a significant infringement of his liberty".

PC Powell added that despite being told Mr Clarke was a major in the British Army, it "would not have changed my decision" to arrest him.

Mr Clarke and fellow preachers Michael Overd, Mike Stockwell and Don Karns are claiming assault, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, misfeasance in a public office and infringement of their human rights against the police.

Mr Overd and Mr Stockwell were fined for a religiously aggravated public order offence in February 2017 but were cleared on appeal.

The case continues.