A vile preacher who was arrested in Leeds city centre after criticising the LGBT+ community has been released without charge.
The 40-year-old man attracted a huge crowd in Briggate on August 25 last week after he shared his shocking views on homosexuality and marriage.
He was heard preaching that women who have sex before marriage are "practising whoredom" and should remain virgins for their husbands.
In a clip recorded by a Leeds Live reporter, he can be heard condemning homosexuals as he reads a verse from the bible of the people who “shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Shortly after, he was escorted from the scene by West Yorkshire Police then arrested in relation to public order offences.
However, today (Tuesday), the force revealed the man was released without charge.
A spokesperson for the force said: “The man arrested in Briggate on Aug 25, he was subsequently released without charge due to evidential difficulties.”
This wasn’t the first time he has been slammed or arrested for his views in the city this year either.
Back in June 2021, during Pride Month, the preacher was arrested after he was caught on video saying "homosexuality is an abomination" and only a month later, he was slammed for his “hateful” and “homophobic” views.
LeedsLive approached Leeds City Council for a comment on whether he would be allowed to continue preaching in the city centre but a spokesperson for the authority said it is "unable to provide a comment."
The council's website states buskers and street artists do not need a licence to perform in the city centre but they need to follow a code of conduct which takes into consideration businesses, shoppers and other artists.
The code of conduct includes “performance must not be of a nature that could cause offence, alarm or bother users of the city centre”, “responsible for ensuring that your presence does not cause obstruction of the highway, including gathering crowds to watch” and “be respectful to on-street traders.”
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