Achina appealed the decision on five grounds, including that the committee imposed an excessive sanction because it failed to have regard to mitigating material, failed to conclude that the public interest had been served by criminal proceedings, and failed to take into account the length of time he had already been suspended by virtue of an interim order.
He also claimed to have been denied a fair hearing as a result of the presence on the committee of individuals he considered adherents of Islam – and biased against him being a black Christian appellant.
Appearing at court without legal representation, Achina asked The Honourable Mr Justice Lane to view a YouTube video of recorded speech by a man who grew up a Muslim, but converted to Christianity, and contended that a tenet of Islam was to behave with hostility towards Christians and Jews.
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