148:
262:. The police received complaints about them and a policeman warned the three women not to interrupt people walking by. They ignored him, and after twenty minutes, a crowd of more than a hundred people had gathered (most of which showed hostility towards the three women). The policeman once again asked the women to stop preaching, and when they refused to do so, they were arrested. Redmond-Bate was later convicted at
22:
296:
I am unable to see any lawful basis for the arrest or therefore the conviction... There was no suggestion of highway obstruction. Nobody had to stop and listen. If they did so, they were as free to express the view that the preachers should be locked up or silenced as the appellant and her companions
352:
The situation perceived and recounted by PC Tennant did not justify him in apprehending a breach of the peace, much less a breach of the peace for which the three women would be responsible. No more were the
Magistrates justified in convicting the appellant or the Crown Court in upholding the
353:
conviction. For the reasons I have given, the constable was not acting in the execution of his duty when he required the women to stop preaching, and the appellant was therefore not guilty of obstructing him in the execution of his duty when she refused to comply.
304:
Free speech includes not only the inoffensive but the irritating, the contentious, the eccentric, the heretical, the unwelcome and the provocative provided it does not tend to provoke violence. Freedom only to speak inoffensively is not worth having. What
300:
Mr. Kealy for the prosecutor submitted that if there are two alternative sources of trouble, a constable can properly take steps against either. This is right, but only if both are threatening violence or behaving in a manner that might provoke violence.
349:(the topic not only of sermons preached on every Sunday of the year but of at least one regular daily slot on national radio) to a reasonable apprehension that violence is going to erupt is, with great respect, both illiberal and illogical.
309:(where the law applies as fully as anywhere else) demonstrates is the tolerance which is both extended by the law to opinion of every kind and expected by the law in the conduct of those who disagree, even strongly, with what they hear.
243:, includes the right to be offensive; and a police officer has no right to call upon a citizen to desist from lawful conduct. That others might react unlawfully does not itself render the actions of the speaker unlawful.
276:"In the circumstances of this case, was it reasonable for the police officer to arrest the appellant who had not conducted herself in a manner which would be said to constitute an offence under the
236:
280:
when any apprehension by the police officer of violence or threat of violence which could be said to be likely to breach criminal law emanated from others present?"
235:. The decision upheld the freedom to express lawful matters in a way which other people might take great exception to; that the right to free speech, enshrined in
283:"Whether it was proper for the Court to conclude that such actual or threatened violence was or would be the natural consequence of the appellant’s actions?"
203:
50:
30:
266:
464:
323:
has been to set close limits to any such assumed power. We in this country continue to owe a debt to the jury which in 1670 refused to convict the
356:
Although, therefore, the Crown Court's questions do not pose the key issue, I would answer both questions in the negative and allow this appeal.
147:
459:
320:
240:
123:
316:
to the persecution of modern writers and journalists, our world has seen too many examples of state control of unofficial ideas.
104:
76:
83:
54:
46:
35:
90:
39:
220:
72:
331:
409:
277:
224:
158:
306:
259:
232:
383:
324:
97:
61:
251:
On 2 October 1997, the appellant, Alison
Redmond-Bate, and two other women, all members of an
228:
337:
To proceed, as the Crown Court did, from the fact that the three women were preaching about
440:
216:
184:
199:
453:
327:
255:
414:
269:
and charged with "obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty."
252:
263:
338:
313:
272:
The appeal to the High Court concerned the following questions of law:
444:
346:
342:
60:
from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
15:
334:
for preaching ideas which offended against state orthodoxy.
195:
190:
180:
172:
164:
154:
140:
384:"Redmond-Bate v Director of Public Prosecutions"
294:
213:Redmond-Bate v Director of Public Prosecutions
176:Crim LR 998, 28 SLR 16, SLRYB 47, HRLR 249,
141:Redmond-Bate v Director of Public Prosecutions
378:
376:
374:
372:
370:
8:
146:
137:
53:about living persons that is unsourced or
124:Learn how and when to remove this message
366:
258:organization, were preaching outside
7:
292:Sedley LJ's opinion was as follows.
410:"Freedom to preach upheld in court"
321:European Convention on Human Rights
241:European Convention of Human Rights
14:
20:
465:1999 in United Kingdom case law
219:, was a case heard before the
1:
31:biography of a living person
460:High Court of Justice cases
58:must be removed immediately
481:
319:A central purpose of the
312:From the condemnation of
145:
358:
221:Queen's Bench Division
45:Please help by adding
278:Public Order Act 1986
185:Full text of judgment
159:High Court of Justice
73:"Redmond-Bate v DPP"
51:Contentious material
260:Wakefield Cathedral
233:breach of the peace
204:Mr. Justice Collins
200:Lord Justice Sedley
267:Magistrates Court
229:freedom of speech
209:
208:
134:
133:
126:
108:
34:needs additional
472:
428:
427:
425:
423:
406:
400:
399:
397:
395:
380:
307:Speakers' Corner
297:were to preach.
191:Court membership
150:
138:
129:
122:
118:
115:
109:
107:
66:
47:reliable sources
24:
23:
16:
480:
479:
475:
474:
473:
471:
470:
469:
450:
449:
441:Full transcript
437:
432:
431:
421:
419:
408:
407:
403:
393:
391:
390:. November 2003
382:
381:
368:
363:
290:
249:
202:
130:
119:
113:
110:
67:
65:
44:
25:
21:
12:
11:
5:
478:
476:
468:
467:
462:
452:
451:
448:
447:
436:
435:External links
433:
430:
429:
401:
365:
364:
362:
359:
289:
286:
285:
284:
281:
248:
245:
217:EWHC Admin 733
207:
206:
197:
196:Judges sitting
193:
192:
188:
187:
182:
178:
177:
174:
170:
169:
166:
162:
161:
156:
152:
151:
143:
142:
132:
131:
55:poorly sourced
28:
26:
19:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
477:
466:
463:
461:
458:
457:
455:
446:
442:
439:
438:
434:
418:. 9 June 1999
417:
416:
411:
405:
402:
389:
385:
379:
377:
375:
373:
371:
367:
360:
357:
354:
350:
348:
344:
340:
335:
333:
329:
326:
322:
317:
315:
310:
308:
302:
298:
293:
287:
282:
279:
275:
274:
273:
270:
268:
265:
261:
257:
254:
246:
244:
242:
238:
234:
230:
226:
222:
218:
215:
214:
205:
201:
198:
194:
189:
186:
183:
179:
175:
171:
167:
163:
160:
157:
153:
149:
144:
139:
136:
128:
125:
117:
106:
103:
99:
96:
92:
89:
85:
82:
78:
75: –
74:
70:
69:Find sources:
63:
59:
56:
52:
48:
42:
41:
37:
32:
27:
18:
17:
422:11 September
420:. Retrieved
413:
404:
392:. Retrieved
387:
355:
351:
336:
332:William Mead
328:William Penn
318:
311:
303:
299:
295:
291:
271:
253:evangelistic
250:
212:
211:
210:
168:23 July 1999
135:
120:
114:October 2022
111:
101:
94:
87:
80:
68:
57:
40:verification
33:
388:Freebeagles
454:Categories
415:The Lawyer
361:References
237:Article 10
227:regarding
225:High Court
181:Transcript
84:newspapers
394:18 August
264:Wakefield
256:Christian
36:citations
345:and the
339:morality
314:Socrates
288:Judgment
173:Citation
62:libelous
325:Quakers
239:of the
223:of the
165:Decided
98:scholar
445:BAILII
100:
93:
86:
79:
71:
347:Bible
247:Facts
155:Court
105:JSTOR
91:books
29:This
424:2010
396:2009
330:and
231:and
77:news
38:for
443:at
343:God
456::
412:.
386:.
369:^
341:,
49:.
426:.
398:.
127:)
121:(
116:)
112:(
102:·
95:·
88:·
81:·
64:.
43:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.