MAIL ONLINE: The two Christian hoteliers cleared last year of insulting a Muslim guest are being forced to sell up because their business has collapsed.
Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang are putting their nine-bedroom hotel up for auction in May because they can no longer pay the mortgage.
Despite donations sent to them by Christian supporters from around the world, they still have debts of well over £400,000.
They are also considering a civil action against the police who brought the prosecution.
Mrs Vogelenzang, 54, said last night it was 'devastating' that they could be left with nothing as the result of a case that should never have come to court.
'Where do we go from here?' she said. 'How do we start all over again?'
The couple saw their Liverpool business brought to its knees after an investigation into what was deemed a religiously aggravated hate crime against Ericka Tazi. The 60-year-old white British convert complained that the couple had called the prophet Mohammed a 'warlord' and told her that Muslim women were oppressed.
The case against them was thrown out after a judge at Liverpool magistrates' court said it flew in the face of their right to freedom of religious expression.
After the victory, the couple hoped they would be able to revive the Bounty House Hotel near Aintree racecourse, which they had built up over ten years.
Four months later, however, they have failed to attract enough customers and are losing about £8,000 a month. We're selling our hotel, say Christian couple in row with Muslim guest >>> Jonathan Petre | Saturday, March 27, 2010
