Ian Sleeper v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
| Judge | Mr Justice Sweeting |
| Judgment Date | 28 January 2025 |
| Neutral Citation | [2025] EWHC 151 (KB) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Court | King's Bench Division |
| Counsel | Bruno Quintavalle,Robert Talalay |
| Date | 28 January 2025 |
Neutral Citation Number: [2025] EWHC 151 (KB)
Case No: KA-2023-000063
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE
KINGS BENCH DIVISION
Royal Courts of Justice
Strand, London, WC2A 2LL
Date: 28/01/2025
Before :
MR JUSTICE SWEETING
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Between :
IAN SLEEPERAppellant
- and -
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OF THE
METROPOLIS
Respondent
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BRUNO QUINTAVALLE (instructed by ANDREW STORCH SOLICITORS) for the
APPELLANT
ROBERT TALALAY (instructed by CLYDE & CO LLP) for the RESPONDENT
Hearing dates: 8th-9th May 2024
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Approved Judgment
This judgment was handed down remotely at 10:00am on 28th January 2025 by circulation to
the parties or their representatives by email and by release to the National Archives
Approved judgmentSLEEPER v COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OF THE
METROPOLIS
MR JUSTICE SWEETING :
Introduction and Factual Background of the Case
1.The Appellant, Ian Sleeper (“the Appellant” or “Mr. Sleeper”), is a 56-year-old man
who was arrested and detained on 23 June 2017 while engaging in street evangelism
or proselytising outside Southwark Cathedral in London. Mr. Sleeper had two signs
withhim.Thefirst read"LOVEMUSLIMS BANISLAM THE RELIGIONOF
TERROR!",andthe second read "#LOVE MUSLIMS HATE ISLAM JESUSIS
LOVE + HOPE". The signs were handwritten and contained large writing that was
easy to read. They were prominently displayed, with one sign, the “Hate” sign, being
held up by the Appellant and the other, the “Ban” sign, placed on the floor next to
him, facing the road where members of the public were walking past.
2.PC Blair and PC Terry were on patrol in Borough Market. PC Blair was an
experienced counter-terrorism officer. They were directed to Mr. Sleeper by a
member of the public who found the signs, particularly the one containing the word
"hate Islam", to bedistressing.PC Hussey, another experiencedcounter-terrorism
officer, came to assist.
3.The officers engaged the Appellant in a lengthy conversation, recorded on PC Blair's
body-worncamera,attemptingtopersuadehim to stopdisplayingthesigns. Mr.
Sleeper maintained that his actions were protected under the Human Rights Act 1988.
4.At 12:50 pm, after establishing that he could not seize the signs, PC Blair arrested the
Appellant for a religiously aggravated offence under s.5 of the Public Order Act 1986
(“POA”). He was taken to Walworth Police Station. His detention was authorised at
1:27 pm. At 3:20 pm, Mr. Sleeper was seen by a medical practitioner. Mr. Sleeper's
chosensolicitor arrived at 7:24 pm, having been contacted at 3:18 pm. He was
interviewed at 8:13 pm. Mr. Sleeper gave a prepared statement in which he explained
that he was criticising Islam and not Muslims.He returned tohis cell at9:16 pm.
Between 9:16 pm and his release, police officers attempted to reach senior officers
and the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether to charge the Appellant but
were unsuccessful. Mr. Sleeper was detained in custody until 12:38 am, when he was
released on conditional bail.On11 August 2017 hewas informed of theCrown
Prosecution Service's decision not to prosecute.
5.The incident which led to his arresttook place just a few weeks aftertwo major
terrorist attacks in London: the London Bridge and Borough Market attack on 3 June
2017 (in which eight people had been murdered), and the Finsbury Park attack on 19
June 2017 (in which a van had been driven into a crowd of worshippers at a mosque).
The city was experiencing heightened tensions, and the police were, for good reason,
particularly sensitive to anything that could be perceived as inciting hatred or
violence. The Cathedral, near thesiteof the BoroughMarket attack andcloseto
where the Appellant was displaying his signs, was due to host a multi-faith
community service on the day of the Appellant’s arrest. The Appellant was aware of
this and had chosen to proselytise close to the Cathedral with this in mind.
6.The Appellant subsequently brought a claim against the Commissioner of Police of
the Metropolis for false imprisonment and breach of his human rights, arguing that his
arrest and detention were unlawfuland violated hisrights to freedom of religion,
expression, and assembly. The claim was dismissed by HHJ Saggerson at the Central
London County Court. He found, for the reasons set out in a detailed written judgment
dated 3 April 2023, that the arrest and detention were lawful. In summary, the Judge
decided that the arresting officer had a reasonable suspicion that the Appellant had
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