“A street preacher has been found not guilty of hate speech after suggesting the Muslim prophet Muhammad was a pedophile. Shaun O’Sullivan was accused of causing religious and racially motivated harassment, alarm and distress by criticizing Muhammad and Buddha when preaching in March 2020. Passers-by suggested he was being racist, alerting the police of his actions in Swindon Town Centre. Appearing in Swindon Magistrates Court, the 32-year-old was found not guilty of the public order offence with which he was charged. Mr. O’Sullivan–who is a born-again Christian WHO would previously heckle and persecute street preachers, said: ‘I am relieved that the magistrates have seen sense and found me not guilty. It was never my intention to offend or upset people. My intention was to tell the truth based on the evidence in the Bible and Islamic scripture, and when you do that in public there is always someone who will be offended. Offending someone is not and never should be seen as a crime.’ According to Islamic tradition, the prophet consummated his marriage to his wife Aisha when she was 9 years old.”
“Street Preacher,” Premier Christian News, Nov. 3, 2022
