(Premier) A Christian street preacher who was arrested for displaying a controversial sign that read “Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus Is Love and Hope” outside Southwark Cathedral has lost his legal challenge, with a High Court judge ruling that his detention was not unlawful.
Ian Sleeper, 56, was arrested on 23rd June 2017 after being accused of causing “harassment, alarm, and distress,” suspected to be a religiously aggravated public order offence. He was detained in police custody for 13 hours before being released on bail, with no criminal charges brought against him.
At the time of his arrest, Sleeper was holding two signs. One read: “#Love Muslims, Hate Islam, Jesus Is Love + Hope,” while the other stated: “Love Muslims, Ban Islam, the Religion of Terror.” Sleeper claimed that his protest was a response to the terrorist attacks earlier that month.
