A Win for Free Speech: Bristol Pastor Dia Moodleys Hate Crime Charges Dropped After Eight Hours in Custody
Bristol street preacher Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, has been cleared of all criminal charges after Avon and Somerset Police dropped its investigation into his street preaching for the second time. The announcement was made on 18 May 2026, ending a months long ordeal that began with an eight...
58 Year Old British Pastor Cleared Twice by Avon and Somerset Police as ADF International Considers Legal Action Against the Force
Bristol street preacher Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, has been cleared of all criminal charges after Avon and Somerset Police dropped its investigation into his street preaching for the second time. The announcement was made on 18 May 2026, ending a months long ordeal that began with an eight hour detention in November 2025.
"This is a win for free speech," Moodley said. "But I never should have been arrested, treated like a criminal, and investigated."
British Pastor Cleared as ADF International Plans Legal Action Over Two Tier Policing
Moodley was originally arrested on suspicion of inciting religious hatred, a Section 4A religiously aggravated public order offence under the Public Order Act 1986, and assault by beating.
The charges stemmed from his street preaching, which included criticism of transgender ideology and theological comparisons between Islam and Christianity. He had also been arrested in March 2024, with those charges similarly dropped.
Moodley accused the police of "two tier policing," noting that in April 2026 he had reported a threatening comment against himself, only to be told it did not constitute an offence.
Alliance Defending Freedom International, representing him, is now considering legal action against the police. His lawyer described the case as a "symptom of a wider pattern" requiring Parliament to "repeal what he described as censorial laws."
The Crusader's Opinion
Avon and Somerset Police detained a 58 year old pastor for eight hours over a sermon. They dragged him through a months long investigation. They told him a threat against him was not a crime. Then they dropped the case quietly, the second time they have done so. Pastor Moodley is right to call this two tier policing. British law has been weaponised against Christian preachers while real threats receive a shrug. ADF must sue. Parliament must repeal the censorial laws. The Gospel must be preached on Bristol streets without arrest.
Take Action
- Donate: ADF International
- Contact: Your MP demanding repeal of Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986
- Pray: For Pastor Dia Moodley and his family
- Share: The "two tier policing" story and challenge UK speech crackdowns
- Read: Christian Concern's coverage of UK street preacher prosecutions
