Saturday, October 29, 2011

'Sodomy' protest preacher David McIlveen retires

Controversial preacher Rev David McIlveen - who won a landmark legal battle earlier this year over his church's decision to publicly denounce sodomy - has retired. 

Mr McIlveen (64), of Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in east Belfast, said he wanted to retire while he was still in good health.

Mr McIlveen has been involved in a number of high-profile protests. 

He said he was "vindicated" in March of this year when a High Court judge overturned a decision by the Advertising Standards Authority to ban an ad he placed in a newspaper in 2008.

Ahead of the Belfast Pride march that celebrates equality for homosexuals, the ad was headlined "The word of God against sodomy". 

The courts ruled the ban interfered with the church's right to freedom of expression.