A Christian street preacher, pastor in Bristol has been cleared after police dropped a months-long criminal investigation into his street preaching.
In a statement on Saturday, Pastor Dia Moodley said Avon and Somerset police had confirmed “no further action will be taken” after he was arrested while preaching in Broadmead, with the decision described as a “win for free speech”.
The investigation followed his arrest on 22 November 2025, when he was detained on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” and a Section 4A public order offence under the Public Order Act 1986 while sharing Christian views in Bristol city centre.
According to ADF International, which supported his legal defence, the 58-year-old pastor was held for around eight hours, questioned by police, and initially placed under bail conditions that restricted him from entering Bristol city centre over Christmas.
Those bail conditions were later dropped after representations, but the ongoing investigation continued for more than four months, during which he refrained from public preaching due to fear of rearrest.
Moodley said: “I’m glad Avon and Somerset Police decided to eventually do the right thing and drop their criminal investigation. This is a win for free speech, but I never should have been arrested.”
He added that he had been arrested twice for commenting on Islam and transgender ideology while street preaching, and said police had failed to properly investigate threats made against him during public preaching.
The pastor said he is now consulting legal advisers about potential legal action against Avon and Somerset police.
ADF International legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole described the decision as a “vindication” of Moodley’s conduct and criticised what he called a “two-tier approach to policing”.