CHRISITIAN street preacher Michael Overd was in court again this morning, (Thursday, March 12) for the second day of his trial.

Mr Overd of Arundell’s Way, Creech St Michael, is accused of making homophobic and Islamaphobic remarks while preaching on the streets of Taunton last June and July.

Yesterday, (March 11), three witnesses made complaints to the police about what Mr Overd was saying.

This morning, he has been giving evidence and videos of some of his preaching were shown to the court.

On one occasion, a woman approaches him and asks him to think about what he is saying around children and that she wants to ask him something and that God loves homosexuals.

He carries on preaching and says to her: “Just because I don’t like their sins does not mean I don’t like them.”

In court he added that he felt sorry for the little boy the woman was with, and said if she had asked him to speak to her he would have done but that she was hysterical.

He told the court that he had to preach to people for them to receive God.

He said: “If I don’t tell people about what is in the Gospel and that they are sinning, then that makes me a wicked, selfish man.”

Another video shows Mr Overd being approached by a policeman who explains they have had complaints against him for saying homophobic things.

The officer says: “If I hear one homophobic word out of your mouth here today, I will arrest you.”

The police officer is then seen trying to reason with Mr Overd explaining that everyone has freedom of speech but within reason and that he cannot go around making comments which offend people.

Mr Overd was asked by Michael Phillips, who is defending him, if he is often asked by police to stop, lower his voice and turn off his microphone.

He said it was a common request.

Judge Qureshi was then given extracts from the New Testament of the Bible which related to homosexuals.

He asked the defence team why he was given them and not the Leviticus quotes from the Old Testament.

Mr Overd had quoted the first part of an extract from Leviticus to one of the witnesses Darren Chalmers which says: “If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, he has committed an abomination.”

Mr Overd was then questioned by the judge as to why he did not quote the second part which says they must be put to death.

He explained that he did not believe in the death penalty and that God gave the laws to Israel and the Jews and they were not applicable.

He added: “I could see this good man was upset, did you want me to say this to him as well?”

Mr Overd has two charges of using threatening and abusive words and a third charge of causing racially or religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.

This afternoon, Mr Overd is being cross-examined by the Crown Prosecution Service.