A Christian preacher arrested and imprisoned without food and water after he told two gay teenagers the Bible says homosexuality is a sin, has won £13,000 in compensation for poor treatment by police.
John Craven, 57, says he was held by Greater Manchester Police after he told the couple ‘God hates sin, but he loves the sinner’.
The young men then kissed in front of him and approached a police officer and claimed Mr Craven’s comments were ‘insulting’ and had caused them ‘harassment and distress.’
Mr Craven said he was ‘grabbed roughly by the arm’ on suspicion of public order offences and later denied food, water and access to medication for his rheumatoid arthritis while in custody for 19 hours.
He was later bailed before being told no action would be taken against him.
‘I told them that according to the word of God homosexuality is an abomination. That is not my opinion it is the word of God. I quoted them Revelation chapter 21 verse 8,’ he said.
‘This made them very upset and they started to do obscene gestures to me. They were deliberately trying to provoke me.
‘I have to be very careful in these sort of situations so I did not give my own opinion, I just gave God’s word. But they said that I had taunted them and assaulted them verbally and before I knew it the police arrived. I couldn’t believe it.
‘I have had confrontations with people before when I have been speaking but never anything like this. I did remained calm and co-operative even though I was being handled very roughly by the police officer.’
Greater Manchester Police said the detention was ‘necessary for a prompt and effective investigation’ but Mr Craven sued the force for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment and breach of his human rights.
Mr Craven has now been awarded £13,000 in compensation in an out-of-court settlement following a three-year battle, likely to also cost the taxpayer more than £50,000 in legal costs.
The settlement was agreed a few days before the civil case was due in court.
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SOURCE: Daily Mail
Martin Robinson
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