A Christian pastor was recently arrested by British police while preaching the Gospel on a public street of Watford, England, on suspicion of a public order offense, according to reports.
Pastor Steve Maile, a prominent evangelical figure, was arrested April 18 in front of his wife and children and was reportedly interrogated for hours in police custody before being released on three months’ bail, according to Britannia Daily. He said the experience left him “brutalized” and “victimized” by the police.
Christian Concern, the media arm of Christian Legal Centre, whose lawyers are now representing Maile, said in an April 24 press release that police approached the pastor while he was “peacefully” preaching and arrested him after he criticized what he called Islam’s violent history and expressed a desire for Muslims to be saved through Jesus Christ.
The release states that the police “initially accused Pastor Maile of assaulting a teenager, an allegation he strongly denies and which he says was later dropped.”
“He remains under investigation for alleged hate-related public order offences connected to comments critical of Islam and LGBT lifestyles, which he maintains were Bible-based statements rather than calls to hatred or violence,” Christian Concern added.
In a video recording of the arrest, Maile is heard saying the arrest is an “utter disgrace” and “there is no offense being committed here, none whatsoever.”
Pastor Steve Maile Arrested By British Police While Preaching In The Street, Claims He Was 'Brutalised And Victimised' In Front Of His Wife And Children pic.twitter.com/ovYHu9maYe
— Britannia Daily (@BritanniaDailyy) April 19, 2026
In an April 20 interview on Vision Christian Radio’s “Rise and Shine,” Maile said he had been “hassled by police” numerous times throughout his 45-year tenure preaching on the country’s streets but had never been arrested.
Maile emphasized in the interview that Christians are no longer safe to openly practice their faith.
“If you stand up and say anything for the cause of Christ, you will be arrested for hate speech,” he said.
Britannia Daily outlined the arrest as part of broader concerns over how British police are handling religious expression in public spaces, referencing the case of Christian preacher Pastor Dia Moodley, who was arrested in 2025 on “suspicion of inciting religious hatred.”
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