A British court has thrown out the prosecution of a Christian preacher who faced charges stemming from a heated confrontation with an angry Islamic mob in Walsall. The judge dismissed the case after prosecutors declined to present evidence, citing insufficient grounds for proceeding with the charges.
The case was dismissed at a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, which stated that the Crown Prosecution Service had refused to offer evidence. As a result, Karandeep Mamman was found not guilty of all charges under Section 4A of the Public Order Act, said Christian Concern, whose legal arm, Christian Legal Centre, represented the preacher.
On Jan. 14, 2023, Mamman, 33, was preaching in Walsall town center when he was surrounded by a group of 20 to 30 individuals. The group, described as an Islamic mob, formed a ring around him, issuing threats that included beating him and cutting his throat.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
The confrontation arose after Mamman critiqued the Quran, stating that it misrepresents Jesus Christ as merely a prophet rather than the Son of God. He shared his belief that Islam presents “a wrong Jesus” and said that the Quran promotes “hatred, terrorism, and killing of Jews and Christians who do not convert.”
Amid escalating tension, Mamman reportedly tried to leave the area, but the mob refused to let him go.
CCTV footage later revealed that two men, described as a homosexual couple, tore apart a sign Mamman was holding, which contained Christian messages, including one symbol opposing homosexual practices.
The crowd continued to remonstrate until town center security intervened, allowing Mamman to leave the scene.
Despite being the target of threats and physical harassment, Mamman was later invited by police for a voluntary interview and subsequently charged with causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress under Section 28 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
The charges stunned Mamman. “I did not attack anybody in particular. I was just expressing my freedom of speech,” he told police at the time.
Mamman’s legal defense argued that the prosecution constituted an abuse of process and violated his rights under Articles 9 through 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect freedom of thought, expression and assembly. The defense team stressed that his conduct constituted peaceful protest and did not meet the threshold for criminal behavior.
They asserted that Mamman’s comments were rooted in historical and religious texts and did not involve threats or personal abuse.
Martin Parsons, an expert witness for the defense, provided evidence from the Quran to contextualize Mamman’s remarks, citing passages that refer to military jihad and acts of terror.
Mamman expressed relief at the court’s decision. “My aim always when preaching is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that all of us can only be saved if we follow His teaching,” he said.
“It was intimidating to be attacked and surrounded by such an angry mob, but I was determined to stand my ground and not back down over my beliefs,” he added.
CLC’s Chief Executive Andrea Williams criticized the authorities’ handling of the incident, arguing that Mamman’s prosecution undermined public confidence in the justice system.
“The authorities should have been protecting my personal safety and free speech rights,” Mamman said. “Instead, by prosecuting me, they have encouraged members of the public that this is the appropriate approach to getting your way and shutting down the expression of beliefs that you don’t like.”
