Leeds preacher's sentence for trans woman's harassment quashed

A Christian preacher who was found guilty of harassing a transgender woman by calling her a "man" and "gentleman" has had his conviction quashed.

Farrah Munir said David McConnell, who was preaching in Leeds in June 2021, had left her "emotionally distraught".

Mr McConnell was given a 12-month community order with 80 hours unpaid work in September 2022.

His conviction was overturned at Leeds Magistrates' Court which heard there was no evidence he meant to harass her.

On Thursday, Recorder Anthony Hawks, sitting alongside two other magistrates, said although they accepted Mr McConnell's words had been insulting and Ms Munir, 19, had suffered "harassment, alarm and distress", there was no evidence he had intended to do so.

Earlier, the court saw video footage from the preacher's body-worn camera which showed Ms Munir approaching Mr McConnell as he spoke to a small crowd.

She was seen to ask him: "Does God accept the LBGT community?"

The video then showed the 42-year-old as he responded to the crowd and referred to her as "this gentleman" and saying: "This is a man."

In the footage, Mr McConnell, of Flockton, Wakefield, could also be heard saying: "Homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God" and: "The Bible says lesbianism is an unnatural and vile passion."

Asked at the appeal hearing how she felt about this, Ms Munir answered: "Upset. Emotionally distraught, as this had never happened to me before."

Mr McConnell told the court that in his view he was "not misgendering" and was "gendering correctly".

He added: "I knew the person in front of me was a biological male and, therefore, I stayed true to God and true to my beliefs."

Allowing the preacher's appeal against conviction, Recorder Hawks said: "We live in a time when free speech is important and vital and we live in a time when people's attitudes towards gender are very different from how they were years ago.

"All these issues need to be properly respected, so I make no criticism whatsoever of the Crown bringing a prosecution in this case."

Following the hearing, Mr McConnell said he was "delighted and relieved", adding: "I am, however, appalled at how I have been treated by the authorities in this matter.

"No other street preacher, professional or member of the public must go through what I have."

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which backed Mr McConnell's case, said he had "been vindicated".

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