Avon and Somerset police have apologised to Dia Moodely, a grandfather and pastor who was arrested after street preaching in Bristol, after arresting him and ordering his signs to be destroyed.

Moodley said that “two tier policing” is “a reality that Christians in the UK have been experiencing for years”, after he was arrested and held in a cell for 13 hours.

Police instructed staff at Bristol University to destroy four signs, one of which included Bible text, after his arrest.

In March, Moodley was arrested on suspicion of committing “racially or religiously aggravated harassment without violence” under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, after contrasting Christianity with Islam when answering a question from a Muslim man, and stating that he believed gender to be binary.

The same day, he had been pushed him from his stepladder and had a sign snatched from his hand. His legal team at Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF) say this caused him a severe soft tissue injury.

ADF also reports that three young people trampled on Moodey’s sign, refusing to return it when asked.

Barrister and legal counsel for ADF UK Jeremiah Igunnubole said: “We are glad Avon and Somerset Police dropped their investigation into Pastor Dia.

“But the fact that he was arrested, held in police custody for 13 hours, and had his property destroyed with the encouragement of Avon and Somerset police is objectively appalling.

“Nobody should be subject to discriminatory treatment for peacefully and lawfully sharing their core beliefs… Our free speech laws should be strengthened, and we urge Sir Keir Starmer to do so, to prevent what happened here from ever occurring again.”