2003 British Grand Prix On 20 July 2003, Horan ran across the track at the
Formula One British Grand Prix at
Silverstone Circuit, wearing an orange
skirt and waving a religious banner, which stated "Read the
Bible. The Bible is always right". His protest took place on the Hangar Straight. Several drivers had to swerve to avoid him and the
safety car had to be deployed to protect him and the competitors. Horan was tackled by
track marshal Stephen Green, who removed Horan from the track before he was arrested. He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, aggravated trespass and sentenced to two months
imprisonment.
2004 Epsom Derby At the 5 June 2004
Epsom Derby, Horan was spotted by police and shoved to the ground moments before they believed he was about to run in front of the horses. He was later released without charges, although police did circulate information about Horan to other sporting events.
2004 Summer Olympics men's marathon In spite of tight security at the
2004 Athens Olympics due to fears of a
terrorist attack, on 29 August Horan (who had flown to Athens earlier that day) was able to run onto the course of the
men's marathon event near the mark, carrying placards on his back and front. Horan pushed Brazilian
Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading the race, into the crowds alongside the course. After a few seconds Horan was hauled off the shaken runner by Greek spectator Polyvios Kossivas. Kossivas subdued Horan and helped de Lima up and back to the lane. Horan was promptly arrested by Greek police, who were later criticized for not giving runners adequate protection. Following the encounter with Horan, De Lima suffered from leg cramps and muscle pain, although he continued running and completed the race. He lost about 10 seconds from his 25-second lead and finished third, after being passed by Italian
Stefano Baldini and American
Mebrahtom Keflezighi at the mark. The head of the
Brazilian Athletics Confederation launched an
appeal based on the controversy surrounding Horan's interference in the marathon. The federation asked that de Lima also be awarded a
gold medal, citing precedents set in past Olympic matches where extenuating circumstances have led to more than one winner in certain sports. This request was denied. Horan was given a 12-month suspended sentence by a Greek court and fined
€3,000. Although he could have been sentenced to up to five years' imprisonment, the judge gave him a suspended sentence due to his mental state. Horan's brother commented that he had gotten away "scot-free".
World Cup 2006 During the
2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, Horan was arrested by German police before he could stage a planned protest. He had written to German Chancellor,
Angela Merkel, and
The Kingdom newspaper in
County Kerry, Ireland, informing them that he planned to dance a peace jig outside
the stadium in
Berlin before the
World Cup final. He told
The Kingdom he would carry posters declaring "Adolf Hitler was a good leader who was following the word of Christ", give the
Nazi salute and light a candle for Hitler at the
Gestapo headquarters. He spent two months in custody awaiting trial but was released on 15 September 2006 when the judge discharged the case.
St Mary's Hospital During the waiting period outside the front door of
St Mary's Hospital's Lindo Wing in west London before
Prince William's first child was born in July 2013, Horan appeared in front of media with a sign proclaiming "
Queen Elizabeth is very probably the last monarch of Britain" on one side, and "Queen Elizabeth is very probably foretold in the Bible" on the other. He handed out his business card, which read "Neil Horan, the Britain's Got Talent Irish Dancer. I perform at Weddings. My Mission in Life is to help prepare the world for the
Second Coming."
David Norris letter During campaigning ahead of the
2011 Irish presidential election,
Senator David Norris's past came under scrutiny.
The Irish Times reported that it had seen a letter in which Norris had politely responded to Horan thanking him for his pamphlet on "various Messianic prophecies". Norris admitted in the letter, "To be honest I haven't really read it in detail yet", but said that he would put his "feet up and read it with great interest" when he returned from a trip to Berlin. He added, "I will then pass it on to my aunt who is just 100 and has always taken a keen interest in this kind of material." ==Reactions==