Street Preacher Vindicated After Six-Day Crown Court Trial
A Christian street preacher from Swindon, arrested an astonishing 16 times, has been unanimously cleared of racial and religious harassment by a Crown Court jury. Shaun O'Sullivan, 36, now declares he will sue Wiltshire Police, alleging a concerted campaign to gag his freedom of speech and a personal 'vendetta' against him.
The recent six-day trial at Swindon Crown Court, estimated to have cost the taxpayer around £20,000, concluded with the jury dismissing the charges after just 90 minutes of deliberation. The prosecution had alleged that Mr O'Sullivan verbally assaulted three people he assumed were Muslim and Palestinian by saying, 'Pray for the Jews and pray for the Palestinians' in relation to the Gaza conflict.
A Pattern of Arrests and Acquittals
Mr O'Sullivan, a father-of-four who preaches at Swindon's evangelical 'Awaken' church and to the homeless, claims his troubles with the police are persistent and unfounded. None of the 16 arrests have resulted in a successful conviction. In a separate incident, he was arrested simply for saying 'God bless you' to attendees of a pro-Palestinian march, with an officer caught on his TikTok video confirming the phrase could be a crime 'if it causes distress'.
He told the Daily Mail, 'The police have a vendetta against me – I've been told as much by individual officers who have said if someone complains about me I'll be arrested.' He also pointed to derogatory comments about him being 'liked' on social media by a serving Police Community Support Officer, which were removed after the Mail brought them to the force's attention.
Free Speech and the Aftermath
Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Mr O'Sullivan welcomed the verdict, telling his 12,000 TikTok followers that his name had been 'dragged through the papers' and his family and church members attacked. He emphasised the importance of freedom of speech in Britain, even if his views offend some.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, stated the case highlighted the dangers of policing 'hate incidents' based on perception alone and the 'chilling effect on free speech'. Despite a previous noise warning from Swindon Borough Council, Mr O'Sullivan defends his work, citing successes in helping people overcome drug addiction.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said, 'Although it would be inappropriate to comment about an individual in this case, we can say that we police without fear or favour.' The force reiterated its commitment to its key priorities as set out in the Police and Crime plan.
