A Perth street pastor was stopped from preaching by police for preaching that “the truth will set you free”.
Officers warned Josh Williamson that he was breaking the law and he’d be arrested unless he stopped reading from the Bible.
He continued to quote from chapter eight of the Gospel of St John and was taken aside by police and told “your voice is too loud”..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; height: auto; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }
When he refused to move on officers drove him to a police station where he was issued with a warning.
The drama unfolded in Perth High Street on Wednesday afternoon after police received complaints.
The 27-year-old Australian, who arrived in the city with his wife and two-year-old son last month to lead Craigie Reformed Baptist Church, said: “The officer told me to stop, as I was breaking the law. I asked him what law I was breaking, and he replied that I was in breach of the peace.
“When I asked him to explain, he pointed to my MP3 recorder and said I was too loud. I pointed out to the officer that I wasn’t using amplification, but just my natural voice.”
The clergyman, who was confronted again on Thursday by angry shoppers when he returned to preach in Perth High Street, has instructed lawyers to take action against Police Scotland.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Due a number of complaints from members of the public about the noise being made an individual in Perth’s High Street yesterday, a man was asked to attend at Perth Police Station where he was spoken to. He was issued with a warning.”
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