Christian zealot Stephen Green – still smarting from the brush-off he received last year at the hands of the High Court, which dismissed his attempt to prosecute the BBC for blasphemy following the screening of Jerry Springer, the Opera – has found a new source of “blasphemy”, a sculpture of Jesus with an erection.

Green demanded that the priapic messiah – a piece by controversial gay artist Terence Koh – be trashed.

The piece was part of an exhibition at the Baltic art gallery in Gateshead.

The foot high depiction of Christ was the central figure in the exhibit “Gone, Yet Still” which features 74 plaster models ranging from Michelangelo’s statue David to ET.

Green, who heads the evangelical outfit Christian Voice, expressed outrage at the work, calling it blasphemous and saying it had created a “storm” of protest.

A statement from CV called for the owner to “withdraw and destroy the blasphemous statue of Jesus Christ.”

Green was, in effect, told to get lost. A spokeswoman for the Baltic said the artwork had attracted just three letters of complaint from the general public since it went on display in September last year.

She added that the gallery takes great pains to warn the public when an exhibition may be seen as offensive.

Contemporary Art by its very nature is often challenging and controversial; reflecting and responding to some very serious personal and social issues in modern life. Baltic does not shy away from presenting such works.

The statue of Jesus is owned by Newcastle-born collector Anita Zabludowicz, who studied fine art and history at Newcastle’s College of Arts and Technology before spending 10 years as an interior designer.

As well as the statue of Christ, there are models of Mickey Mouse and ET, dipped into plaster. They also sport erect penises.

Wailed the Rev Christopher Warren of St Mary’s Catholic cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne:

For Christians the image of Jesus is very special and to interpret it in a sexualised way is an affront to what we hold dear. While Jesus was a human being in every way, to portray him this way will offend.

The 31-year-old artist’s sells for hundreds of thousands of dollars in America where he now lives.