Investigation into Christian street preacher dropped

Max Thompson, Campaigns Officer

20 May 2026

Avon and Somerset Police have dropped their investigation into evangelical street preacher Dia Moodley — a result his supporters have rightly described as a win for free speech, though one that should never have been necessary.

In November 2025, Moodley was arrested in Bristol city centre on suspicion of inciting religious hatred after delivering a sermon in which he criticised trans ideology and compared the theology of Christianity with that of other religions, including Islam. He was detained under the Public Order Act 1986 for eight hours before being released on bail conditions that initially prohibited him from entering Bristol city centre until the end of the Christmas period — restrictions that were subsequently lifted following legal challenge.

On 8 April 2026, the force confirmed that no further action would be taken. Moodley, 58, told The Telegraph: "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, treated like a criminal, and investigated for months for peacefully sharing my faith in the public square."

The arrest followed an altercation in which a bystander attempted to grab the wire of Moodley's speaker; he pushed her arm away, and she called the police. Two officers arrived and arrested him. During questioning, Moodley says officers asked why he had chosen to preach in an area where he knew Muslims would be present, and whether it was appropriate for him to question trans ideology. Both lines of questioning are troubling. Gender-critical beliefs are explicitly protected under the Equality Act 2010. Parliament abolished blasphemy law in 2008. In a free society, no religion is entitled to immunity from criticism, challenge, or comparison — and it is not the proper function of the police to suggest otherwise.

This was not Moodley's first encounter with the force. In 2021 he was told by police that he was prohibited from "passing comment" on any faith other than Christianity — a condition subsequently conceded to be unlawful. In March 2024 he was arrested outside the University of Bristol for criticising Islam and affirming that biological sex is binary; that investigation was also dropped.

The pattern of treatment does not end with the dropped charges. During an Easter sermon on 4 April 2026, Moodley claims a bystander threatened him after he compared Jesus to the Prophet Mohammed, stating that only Jesus rose from the dead. The man allegedly said: "If you do that again, bro, we'll send the boys round — we'll have someone have a word with you." Moodley reported the incident to Avon and Somerset Police. Officers reportedly declined to investigate, concluding there was insufficient evidence and that the words, whilst unpleasant, did not constitute an offence.

Moodley has accused the police of “two-tier policing”. He has said: "Avon and Somerset Police have arrested me twice because my lawful speech was seen as offensive to some Muslims and people with a progressive world-view”.

"Meanwhile, the police have shockingly failed to investigate violence and threats against me committed by those who object to my speech. This is the definition of two-tier policing, and it must end."

The Government's decision to publish an official definition of Islamophobia — now repackaged as "anti-Muslim hostility" — has compounded the problem. Where that definition is applied loosely, it functions as a de facto blasphemy law covering Islam alone: legitimate theological criticism is reframed as hatred, and officers with limited legal training are left to police the line between the two. Parliament voted to abolish blasphemy law eighteen years ago. It should not be revived through the back door by way of a government-endorsed definition and a complaint-driven arrest culture.

Moodley's case attracted the attention of the White House. He was among the activists invited to meet US State Department officials during their visit to the United Kingdom last year, as concern grows in Washington that free speech in Britain is under serious and sustained threat. He remains undeterred. "I will continue to share my faith publicly, undeterred by the police's censorship and the threats and violence I have faced," he said, "and will stand for free speech not just for myself, but for the rights of all people in the UK."

His case is not isolated. It forms part of an unmistakable pattern in which Christian street preachers are arrested in response to vexatious complaints, held for hours, subjected to onerous bail conditions, and then released without charge — the process itself serving as the punishment.

The Free Speech Union will continue to monitor and challenge this misapplication of the Public Order Act 1986.

Read more in The Telegraph.