DALE McAlpine, a 42-year-old Baptist from Wokington in Cumbia was charged at the weekend with causing “harassment, alarm or distress” after a gay police community support officer (PCSO) overheard him reciting a number of “sins” referred to in the Bible, including blasphemy, drunkenness and same sex relationships.
Dale McAlpine: a criminal or just a harmless wacko?
But the town’s resident crank, who has been giving the good folk of Wokington ear-ache for years, said he did not mention homosexuality while delivering a sermon from the top of a stepladder. However, he admitted telling a passing shopper that he believed it went against the word of God.
According to this report, police officers are alleging that he made the remark in a voice loud enough to be overheard by others and have charged him with using abusive or insulting language, contrary to the Public Order Act.
McAlpine, who was taken to the police station in the back of a marked van and locked in a cell for seven hours on April 20, said the incident was among the worst experiences of his life.
I felt deeply shocked and humiliated that I had been arrested in my own town and treated like a common criminal in front of people I know. My freedom was taken away on the hearsay of someone who disliked what I said, and I was charged under a law that doesn’t apply.
Christian campaigners have expressed alarm that the Public Order Act, introduced in 1986 to tackle violent rioters and football hooligans, is being used to curb religious free speech.
Sam Webster, a solicitor-advocate for the Christian Institute, which – no doubt – is delighted to have found itself another “martyr”, said it is not a crime to express the belief that homosexual conduct is a sin.
The police have a duty to maintain public order but they also have a duty to defend the lawful free speech of citizens.
McAlpine was handing out leaflets explaining the Ten Commandments or offering a “ticket to heaven” with a church colleague on April 20, when a woman came up and engaged him in a debate about his faith.
During the exchange, he says he quietly listed homosexuality among a number of sins referred to in 1 Corinthians, including blasphemy, fornication, adultery and drunkenness.
After the woman walked away, she was approached by a PCSO who spoke with her briefly and then walked over to Mr McAlpine and told him a complaint had been made, and that he could be arrested for using racist or homophobic language.
The street preacher said he told the PCSO:
I am not homophobic but sometimes I do say that the Bible says homosexuality is a crime against the Creator.
He claims that the PCSO then said he was homosexual and identified himself as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender liaison officer for Cumbria police. McAlpine replied:
It’s still a sin.
The preacher then began a 20-minute sermon, in which he says he mentioned drunkenness and adultery, but not homosexuality. Three regular uniformed police officers arrived during the address, arrested Mr McAlpine and put him in the back of a police van.
McAlpine pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing on Friday at Wokingham magistrates court and is now awaiting a trial date.
The Public Order Act, which outlaws the unreasonable use of abusive language likely to cause distress, has been used to arrest religious people in a number of similar cases.
Harry Hammond, a pensioner, was convicted under Section 5 of the Act in 2002 for holding up a sign saying “Stop immorality. Stop Homosexuality. Stop Lesbianism. Jesus is Lord” while preaching in Bournemouth.
Stephen “Birdshit” Green, the demented head of Christian Voice, was arrested and charged in 2006 for handing out religious leaflets at a Gay Pride festival in Cardiff. The case against him was later dropped.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42DbjbTS19s[/youtube]
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:08 pm
I notice no wedding ring on a bloke of about forty. I imagine any normal woman would run a mile from a fool like that. Could it be he’s gay and in denial hence his homophobic pronouncements? The internet logs from his ISP may hold some clues.
The police obviously thought the content of his preaching an arrestable offence but was it really worth carting him away in the black mariah? Think about it. A fat xian on a step ladder talking bollocks in a busy shopping center. I’ve seen them in Cardiff. They’re great entertainment for hecklers and passers by. Regardless of what is said, they’re easy to taunt and they always make me smile. You could sit down with a bag of cans and throw the empties at him.
I’m sure he’s an embarrassment to his family as well.
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Words of wisdom from Melanie Phillips:
The Orwellian logic that’s turning the faith Britain was built on into a crime
“Terrifying as this may seem, the attempt to stamp out Christianity in Britain appears to be gathering pace…”
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/deb.....z0mrqsi5OG
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:17 pm
I tell you what would have been funny, is if the PCSO was drunk and took offense over McAlpine’s condemnation of drunkards….
Now that would have been more interesting….
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I see some serious stupid here, but nothing that should be criminal.
May 3rd, 2010 at 1:46 pm
I saw one of these stupid mouthy clowns in Liverpool once. Shoppers basically laughed as they went past – as if he was some kind of freakish sideshow.
He did accuse my son of being a sinner as I walked past, as he claimed that babies are born with original sin, and they manipulatively cry crocodiles tears to get what they want, and for that they will burn.
As my son was only about 11 months old and in the pram I was pushing, he didn’t take offence.
The badly dressed, middle-aged, wild haired preacher, with his denouncing evolution, his 6000 year old earth, his hatred of gays, reality and women, working himself into a high pitched frenzy as he warned us of the end-times, I figured, had enough problems with his life, than having to contend with my knocking his teeth out and dare him to go threatening my baby with burning in hell again.
I was close to feeling pity for the man, but in the end, it’s his choice to be an offensive asshole. These people really are the most pitiful, pathetic clowns to take their ignorant stupidity and hateful bigotry, and parade it in public. Like any hate speech though – it DOES have consequences. Gay bashing, misogyny etc. Funny how they proclaim god is love, and peace on earth, then reel off a big list of things that are punishable by eternal torture.
It’s little surprise that the contradictory nature of their beliefs turns them into ranting nutcases. Having a mind full of woo all day can’t be healthy.
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
I agree, Shargraves. My immediate reaction to this news is “So what? No one takes any notice of these lunatics anyway”, but then the problem is that some people DO, and anything that encourages “gay-bashing” ought really to be nipped in the bud. Don’t forget, as I have said before, many evangelicals still believe that the black peoples were cursed by God in Noah’s day, and that their pigmentation is the visible evidence of that event, and some probably still believe, as many of the Afrikaaners did, that “blacks” and “coloureds” are actually sub-human. No one can stop them thinking that way, but can you just imagine the furore if one of them started preaching this nonsense, and proclaimed that it was God’s will that they should be “a servant of servants” to the “superior” white people?
May 3rd, 2010 at 2:24 pm
So why is our tory friend free to spout her religiously induced homophobia? Is this street preacher just a bit easier to arrest?
@barriejohn if I were superstitiously inclined I’d put money on Melanie Phillips being a minion of Satan, she certainly does her bit to make the world a worse place…
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Melanie Phillips wants Christians to have the special power to opt out of any law/ workplace rule they dislike simply by stating that it is against their ‘principles’ or ‘conscience’ to obey it. Oh, and they should also apparently have their very own panel of sympathetic judges when in court. If this isn’t blatantly arguing for some to be ‘more equal than others’ I don’t know what is. Justice Laws was spot on with his recent words.
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:34 pm
Look on the positive side of the comments from that daft as a brush Melanie Philipps who thinks that:
” Terrifying as this may seem, the attempt to stamp out Christianity in Britain appears to be gathering pace…â€
Certainly hope so, Mel, and if you are an example of what is being stamped out then Britain will be a happier, more tolerant and open minded place. I don’t suppose you can understand this but it is bigots such as yourself that are the problem; not the answer.
May 3rd, 2010 at 3:47 pm
OK, the guy’s an obnoxious wanker. He was arrested for expressing his opinion. Is that what the UK wants?
Seems to me these recent uses of the Public Order Act cause a lot more “harassment, alarm and distress” than some guy being an asshole.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:24 pm
@uzza I agree with you. He is a sad wanker. Total asshole and limited intellectually, emotionally and culturally. Sticking him in the slammer is silly. If they want someone worth putting behind bars they could arrest Ratzinger – he deserves it.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Making martyrs of these idiots is not the correct thing to do because they then end up having the sympathy of the general public which is what they want. Let them spew their venom and let them hang themselves like that idiot evangelist Phelphs of Westboro Baptist Church did. ( http://www.-godhatesfags.¬com) They have succeeded in making themselves the most hated family in America without any of our doing. There is still such a thing as Freedom of Speech and we should not arrest anyone who is saying something we don’t agree with and have him hauled off to jail. We have a saying in French that when you spit in the air it falls back on your nose.
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:48 pm
It did amuse me when Mike Judge (as usual, near-bursting with excitement but trying to feign sadness) described Mr McAlpine as a “normal, everyday Christian” to the press. Preaching from a stepladder in a high street is a normal, everyday Christian activity?
May 3rd, 2010 at 4:49 pm
If being stupid were considered a crime, jails would be overflowing. Leave people like this guy up on his step-ladder making a fool of himself, heckle him and throw him some peanuts. Whenever some religious nut asks me if I ever give a thought to my soul and the after-life, I always tell him I’m expected in hell, like most people and that he can have heaven all to himself and his psychotic friends. The bible is a stupid book for stupid people and if they want to flaunt their stupidity, why stop them as long as they don’t encourage people to kill all sinners?
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:00 pm
You’ve just answered your own question there, Har Davids. Gay people HAVE been killed as a result of people spouting views like these, so ignoring them can prove fatal.
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Barriejohn, I know people have been killed because of these views. I just don’t think the kind of people who are into violence will feel very inspired by some twat on a ladder, quoting his holy book. And I didn’t say ignore them. But let’s not get into an argument over this; I just think that sometimes ridicule is a more powerful weapon than anything else, and in this case it would have been appropriate, I think. I don’t mind being told I’ll go to hell for my actions or omissions, as long as they don’t scream at me from a short distance. There are so many nutters on the planet who are convinced they and the group they belong to will make it into their idea of paradise, and who gives a shit? Under very different circumstances a kick in the nuts would be my reaction. And I’m really looking forward to a cure for religion.
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I suppose what we see here is another example of christians being persecuted and sidelined. The terrible encroachment of the secular state. Just proves mad Mel’s contention. All these wonderful christian values sidelined.
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:16 pm
I am getting quite concerned about threats to free speech in this country. Some guy has been harassed by the police over a political poster FFS, and then we have the JL airport guy being fined and ordered to do community service (I bet Melanie Phillips never mentioned him). Yes the guy is a twat and shouting homophobic drivel is both wrong and a crime but arresting him is not only counter-productive but also part of a worrying trend. All of us are now looking over our shoulder worrying about which non-crime the police are going to arrest us for.
There is a ready made answer to Christians who claim that Homosexuality, or anything else for that matter, is a sin. The answer is that I am not a Christian so your stupid and arbitrary rules do not apply to me. As for his claim of offence against the creator, well I have read the Bible and YHWH couldn’t creat a distubance in a pub car park let alone a universe, he is way too ignorant and stupid, I know because the Bible tells me so.
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:22 pm
@Har Davids
“I just don’t think the kind of people who are into violence will feel very inspired by some twat on a ladder, quoting his holy book.”
It’s these bigoted views that provide a kind of background for other more violent acts – it allows the hater to justify there acts in a way that bypasses social norms & secular law; this is why the preachers of hate need to be taken to task.
Maybe we could have RASBOs [Religious Anti Social Behaviour Orders] – repeatedly shouting superstitious gibberish & bile at poor shoppers ought to earn you one
An evil thought occurs, isn’t there talk of the state providing funds to privately prosecute for an ASBO in the event that the police don’t act quickly enough… How many people’s signatures would it take to stop a guy like this?
May 4th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Should have just kicked his ladder out from under him.
May 4th, 2010 at 1:11 am
Arresting people for thought crimes isn’t a good idea, it cuts both ways, I may not agree with what these idiots have to say, but I do think they have a right to say it and hold whatever beliefs and opinions they wish.
So basically I am very much with Stonyground on this one, though I agree it is unpleasant to have to tolerate people like this, it’s much preferable to the alternatives.
May 4th, 2010 at 4:59 am
Serai,
I’ve been reading down the column, selecting quotes I would like to respond to, but, you stole my thunder:
“Arresting people for thought crimes isn’t a good idea, it cuts both ways”.
Indeed. If you can arrest someone for saying, “fags are evil”, you must also arrest someone for saying, “god is bullshit”. It’s a two edged sword. I am slightly taken aback, surprised perhaps, a real freethinker? I have a new respect.
NeoWolfe
May 4th, 2010 at 9:29 am
All things in perspective I guess folks.
This clown’s hate speech appears “harmless” to many on this list. My encounter with his kind – was also harmless – even amusing.
But the previous article concerning Lou Engle – who ostensibly does the same thing but on a larger scale and takes it a bit further – I think we can agree that exporting his hate speech to Uganda – where people are being murdered for being gay – is not “harmless.” Indeed his incitement to violence is possibly criminal.
Where do we draw the line? When there’s a murder – thats too late for my liking. Or 10 murders? Systematic abuse and murder by government-condoned gangs, methodically rooting out gays or suspected gays and killing them like in theocratic systems?
I’m not saying I have the answers mind – I just think that there is a point when freedom of speech becomes incitement to violence – and I think we can all appreciate that.
As I see it calling out god for being bullshit is a victimless crime – no one dies, no one is inciting violence. Sure some may get ruffled feathers – but I don’t see atheists standing on ladders in shopping centres talking reasonably on a wide range of humanistic ideals and dissecting popular mythology, thank god.
Heaven forbid they take it further and hold rallies or gatherings whereby scientific advancements are reviewed and lectures given. Next they’d be publishing pamphlets, books on the subject even, or perhaps making their own tofu. They’d even vie to get science taught in greater detail in schools. And in science classes no less. With no mention of god!
All things being equal….
May 4th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
I have to say that I agree with much of what Shargraves has to say, the problem as I see it is that the shitwits that make our laws are too stupid to know the difference.
May 4th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Stony said:
“as I see it is that the shitwits that make our laws are too stupid to know the difference.”
Very true, but, the thorns hide in the fact that those shitwit politicians are elected by shitwit voters. Any real freethinker knows that religion and government should be divided by a stark black boundary, but, a large cross section of voters look for moral leadership and integrity based on the candidate’s religious convictions.
While we scream at the world, trying to awake them from their halucination, the fundies scream at the world trying to sell them eternal life. Politicians on the other hand don’t give a fuck about either side of the issue. They just want to be re-elected, and every move they make is with that goal in mind. The most effective moves they ever make is to pander to big money, and religion has mind boggling hoards of money.
NeoWolfe
May 5th, 2010 at 1:43 am
I see religion and politics as two sides of the same coin, the coin being control of the masses. The old phrase divide and conquer springs to mind, look at how many things divide people into factions, and how few unite them.
Some valid points in this thread about politicians basing policy on re electability over practicality being foremost. It reminds me of the paradox of the pharmaceutical industry, if your income is based on people being sick and needing your products, then why on earth would you want to make them better hmm?
I’d happily tolerate being offended from time to time, over the alternative of being arrested every time I spoke my mind.
May 5th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
I don’t much care what he thinks about gays or what he says about them – in public or anywhere else. If anyone criticised the way I live my life, I’d be offended (of course!) but I wouldn’t want him dragged off in a paddy wagon, thrown in a cell for seven hours, £100,000′s of taxpayers’ money spent prosecuting him. What we have here is one silly little blue-uniformed twonk with an axe to grind and a bunch of fascist so-called liberals to back him up. That’s the legacy of Blair’s government and the main reason I won’t be voting Labour tomorrow.
May 6th, 2010 at 5:06 am
It’s not hearsay because the issue at hand isn’t whether gayness is wrong, the issue is whether he shouted an illocution, which is perfectly acceptable evidence.