Christian street preacher arrested multiple times for ‘God bless you,’ charges dismissed

A Christian street preacher, Shaun O’Sullivan, claims Wiltshire Police are attempting to silence his exercise of freedom of speech after arresting him multiple times for comments like ‘God bless you’. He states that individual officers have indicated they will arrest him if complaints are lodged, suggesting a vendetta against his ministry.

O’Sullivan, who preaches at Swindon’s ‘Awaken’ church and previously struggled with addiction himself, says none of the previous charges against him have resulted in conviction. A recent six-day trial concluded with a jury clearing him of racial harassment charges.

Following a pro-Palestinian march, he was arrested on an allegation that his ‘God bless you’ greeting, offered to protesters, offended Muslims. He interprets this as a fundamental misunderstanding of the law by the arresting officer.

The legal basis for his arrests stems from Section 5 of the Public Order Act, which prohibits using threatening, abusive, or disorderly words that could cause harassment, alarm, or distress. O’Sullivan believes the specific context of his comments, particularly during the Gaza conflict, is being misconstrued.

In a recorded conversation shared on TikTok, O’Sullivan engaged with a female police officer who confirmed that saying ‘God Bless You’ is actionable if it causes distress to a Muslim individual, citing the relevant legal section.

Despite being arrested 16 times allegedly for racial and religious harassment, O’Sullivan is now planning a lawsuit against Wiltshire Police, arguing the repeated actions constitute an attempt to gag his freedom of speech and misinterpret his words through a Christian street preacher’s biblical lens, referencing Micah 6:8.

He finds it ironic that the police, who claim to uphold the law, seem unable to grasp the distinction between his own words, which he believes align with Proverbs 31:8-9, and those he supposedly utters that are offensive.

Source: Read the original report

Source record preserved at time of reporting.