Brit, 72, acquitted of charges tied to sharing gospel tracts

A 72-year-old man who was prosecuted for distributing gospel tracts in London was found not guilty last week. Richard Johnson was arrested last year for handing out a leaflet retelling the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and how the Bible passage connects to sin, repentance, and salvation. The Christian Legal Centre, which represented Johnson, hailed the acquittal as a win for religious and speech rights, in a news release Wednesday.

After passing out the tract in the Soho district, two individuals lodged complaints against Johnson over its messages on homosexuality. They argued that Soho district, in London’s west end, should be a safe space for LGBT individuals. The two pressed charges against him under a public conduct law which says individuals can be charged for threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior.

What did the court rule? The court ruled that Johnson hadn’t engaged in this criminalized expression, Christian Legal Centre said. While the court determined the tract’s material was offensive as it caused individuals to be upset, it wasn’t a public crime to share offensive words.

Johnson’s acquittal signaled that no part of London should be censored for speech like this, said Andrea Williams, the chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre. He peacefully distributed a Biblical message, she added.

Why is Johnson passionate about sharing these tracts? He became a Christian in his 50s and left a bisexual lifestyle, according to the Christian Legal Centre. Since then, he started evangelizing wherever he could and estimated that he has passed out 100,000 in the last 20 years. He said he shares the tracts because he loves LGBT people and wants them to arrive in heaven rather than hell. “Love is telling people the truth, even if people are offended by the message,” he said in a statement.