Prison chaplain who claimed meetings were 'hijacked by extremists' says he faces being kicked out

Christian prison chaplain who claimed Bible meetings were being ‘hijacked by Islamic extremists’ says he faces being kicked out

Pastor Paul Song said he has been suspended while an investigation is held
Mr Song has worked at Brixton prison for 19 years and was reinstated last year after an investigation cleared him of calling a prisoner a ‘terrorist’
Last week told Mail on Sunday about his fears of Muslim extremist gangs at jail

By Jonathan Petre for The Mail on Sunday

Published: 22:02 BST, 22 September 2018 | Updated: 22:02 BST, 22 September 2018

Pastor Paul Song has been suspended while Brixton prison examine his claims that prisoners behaved ‘inappropriately’ in Bible meetings at the South London jail

A Christian prison chaplain who revealed how his Bible meetings were hijacked by Islamic extremists has been warned he may be barred from working at the jail.

Pastor Paul Song last week detailed his fears to The Mail on Sunday over the influence of Muslim extremist gangs at Brixton prison.

He has been suspended while an investigation is held but claims the governor of Brixton told him the outcome could mean permanent exclusion.

Mr Song has worked there for 19 years.

He was only recently reinstated to the South London jail after a year-long investigation cleared him of calling a prisoner a ‘terrorist’ and acting aggressively towards the imam head chaplain.

Brixton governor David Bamford said the new investigation would examine the pastor’s claims that Muslim prisoners behaved ‘inappropriately’, including disrupting chapel meetings by praising the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby.

It will also decide if Mr Song compromised the privacy or safety of staff or prisoners by speaking to this newspaper without permission.

Mr Song said: ‘I can’t believe this is happening after David Bamford himself invited me for a meeting to tell me that my name had been cleared, that I would now be reinstated.’

Mr Song has worked at the prison for 19 years and claimed last week that his bible classes were hijacked by Islamic extremists who even praised the killers of Fusilier Lee Rigby (stock picture of HMP Brixton)

Andrea Williams, of the Christian Legal Centre, which has been supporting Mr Song, said: ‘It was very brave of Pastor Song to tell the public the appalling truth about what was happening in Brixton.

‘Astonishingly, we now find that instead of sorting out the Islamists’ domination of the prison, the authorities have chosen to shoot the messenger.’

The Ministry of Justice confirmed a member of the jail staff had been suspended, adding: ‘There is absolutely no evidence to support claims of extremist behaviour.’