A 72-year-old Christian evangelist has been cleared of criminal charges after distributing gospel tracts in London’s Soho district, a case that tested whether one neighborhood could be treated as a speech-restricted zone for biblical beliefs.
Richard Johnson appeared before the City of London Magistrates’ Court after handing out copies of “Doom Town” in April 2025. The illustrated tract recounts the biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah while presenting a Christian message about sin, judgment, repentance and salvation.
Two people complained that the tract’s message concerning homosexuality and LGBT issues caused them distress. One argued that Soho should be considered a “safe space” for LGBT people and protected from messages deemed hostile to that community.
Johnson’s legal team said that reasoning would establish a de facto “gay buffer zone” where lawful speech would be judged differently because of its location and audience.
Order Jonathan Cahn’s New Book, “The Altar of Pergamon” on Amazon.com!
Following a one-day trial Sept. 4, magistrates acquitted Johnson of all charges. Although the court considered the material offensive and upsetting, prosecutors failed to meet the high legal threshold required to criminalize his expression.
Johnson told the court that he experienced sexual abuse at boarding school and later participated in same-sex sexual activity for years. He eventually married, became a born-again Christian and began sharing the peace and transformation he found in Jesus Christ.
Since 2007, Johnson estimates he has distributed more than 100,000 gospel tracts across England and Europe.
Tim Dieppe of Christian Concern told Premier Christian News that it was “shocking” Johnson faced prosecution “merely for handing out tracts in that area calling people to repent and find forgiveness and freedom in Jesus.”
“We really need the police to learn a lesson about this,” Dieppe said. “They should be protecting free speech and not arresting people because people complain about them.”
Johnson’s acquittal is a victory. Yet the prosecution itself reveals the grim state of post-Christian London: A simple call to repentance can now place an elderly evangelist in the defendant’s chair.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
