Army veteran convicted of ‘thought crime’ near abortion centre

A man has been found guilty of silently praying near an abortion centre in Bournemouth.

Adam Smith-Connor was standing in a council-imposed ‘censorship zone’ in November 2022 when police officers asked him “what is the nature of your prayer?”. When he said he was praying for his deceased son, they claimed he was breaching the zone’s prohibition against “prayer and acts of disapproval” in relation to abortion.

Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court has now ruled that his conduct was “disapproval of abortion”, because he bowed his head and clasped his hands. The army veteran has been ordered to pay prosecution costs of £9,000, and will be sentenced if he is convicted again during the next two years.

‘Eroded freedoms’

Smith-Connor stated: “Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts – silent thoughts – can be illegal in the United Kingdom. That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind – and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?

“I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the UK.”

Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel at religious liberty group Alliance Defending Freedom UK, which is supporting the case, added: “We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of free speech and thought. We will look closely at the judgment and are considering options to appeal”.

‘Bizarre’

The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Simon Calvert said: “Who would have believed in 21st century Britain you could be found guilty of a crime for praying in your head?

“Mr Smith-Connor was convicted using a bizarre interpretation of existing public order law. When new buffer zone laws come into force it will be even easier to convict pro-lifers for thought crimes.

“England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own buffer zones laws but the common feature is to make pro-life beliefs prosecutable despite the fact that they are not being communicated to anyone except the police officer interrogating you.

“Whether you support abortion or not, everyone should be concerned about this because if politicians can outlaw the holding of pro-life beliefs today, they might come for your beliefs tomorrow.”

More restrictions

National censorship zones are due to be imposed across England and Wales, criminalising prayer and offers of help to pregnant women outside abortion centres.

From 31 October, people could receive an unlimited fine for “anything that intentionally or recklessly influences someone’s decision to use abortion services, obstructs them, or causes harassment or distress” within 150m of buildings where abortions are carried out.

Similar restrictions are in force across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.