Hate leaflets 'a duty'

A man accused of stirring up hatred by handing out leaflets demanding the death sentence for homosexuals believed that it was his duty as a Muslim to take part in the campaign to improve society, a British court heard yesterday.

Kabir Ahmed, 28, said he handed a leaflet called "Death Penalty" to a policeman and put them through the letterboxes of homes in Derby because he was spreading the word of God.

Ahmed is one of five men accused of stirring up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation in the first prosecution of its kind since legislation came into force in March 2010. All deny the charges.