A British army veteran who served in Afghanistan was found guilty today (Oct. 16) for praying silently near an abortion clinic in England.
Adam Smith-Connor breached a Public Spaces Protection Order by this action, according to the ruling at Poole Magistrates Court in the town of Poole near Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The court gave Smith-Connor a conditional discharge, meaning he will be sentenced only if convicted of future offenses within the next two years.
“Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts – silent thoughts – can be illegal in the United Kingdom,” Smith-Connor said after the court ruling. “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?”
The court found Smith-Connor guilty for an act of a “disapproval of abortion,” though he was only thinking about his son, who had been aborted many years before, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.
Smith-Connor had slightly bowed his head and clasped his hands in prayer on a public green in a buffer zone near the abortion facility in Orphir Road, Bournemouth in November 2022. During a confrontation with police officers that he recorded, they asked him, “What is the nature of your prayer?”
The buffer zone had been previously legalized under a Public Spaces Protection Order enforced on streets near the abortion clinic. The intent of the buffer zone had been to stop pro-life beliefs being expressed near the facility, including offering help or prayers to women in crisis pregnancies, according to a press statement by ADF International.
Defense attorneys argued that Smith-Connor’s prayerful thoughts, beliefs and opinions were not a crime, especially as he stood peacefully and silently on a public street. He stood behind a tree, spoke to no one and had his back to the facility.
The court also ordered the father of two children to pay prosecution costs amounting to 9,000 British pounds ($11,700 USD).
Smith-Connor reflected on the court verdict given by a court representing the country he fought for as a soldier.
“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,” he said. “I continue that spirit of service as a healthcare professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thought-crimes are now being prosecuted in the U.K.”
After the ruling, Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, called the result a “legal turning point of immense proportions.”
“A man has been convicted today because of the content of his thoughts – his prayers to God – on the public streets of England,” Igunnubole said. “We can hardly sink any lower in our neglect of basic fundamental freedoms of free speech and thought.”
ADF International will look closely at the judgment and consider options for appeal, he said.
“Human rights are for all people – no matter their view on abortion,” Igunnubole said.
Sir Edward Leigh, “Father of the House of Commons,” meaning the most senior member of parliament, expressed outrage at the outcome.
“It is disgraceful that in Britain in 2024 someone can be put on trial for praying silently in his head,” Leigh said. “Unfortunately, we have seen repeated cases of free speech under threat in the U.K. when it comes to the expression of Christian beliefs. To offer a prayer silently in the depths of your heart cannot be an offense. The government must clarify urgently that freedom of thought is protected as a basic human right.”
ADF International stated that Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council spent 90,000 British pounds ($116,990 USD) prosecuting the former soldier for praying, which carried a maximum penalty of 1,000 British pounds ($1,300 USD).
Former U.K. Member of Parliament Miriam Cates reacted to funds spent on prosecution for praying.
“This isn’t ‘1984,’ but 2024 – nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind,” Cates said. “It’s outrageous that the local council are pouring taxpayer funding into prosecuting a thought-crime at a time where resources are stretched thin.”
Buffer zone regulations are disproportionately wide, leaving innocent people vulnerable to prosecution merely for offering help or simply holding their own beliefs, she said.
Five U.K. councils implement buffer zones near abortion clinics, and the recently elected Labour Government has vowed to implement zones near abortion clinics across the country under the Public Order Act on October 31. This move bans any attempt to “influence” a woman’s decision to access abortion services, according to ADF International.
Igunnubole pointed out the discrepancies for interpreting what “influence” means.
“We all influence each other’s decisions all the time – be it through the advice of a parent, the concern of a friend, or the information made available through a charitable volunteer,” he said. “But the Public Order Act is written so vaguely that these every-day, peaceful, caring conversations could be made illegal on certain streets of England when it comes to discussing abortion.”
Igunnubole referred to international law protecting freedom of thought and speech, arguing these allowed consensual conversations or silent prayers.
“Yet the lack of clarity in the law could result in many more citizens like Adam being interrogated or even charged for simply directing silent thoughts towards God,” he said. “This is a watershed moment for British freedoms, and one the public must not take lightly.”
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, director of pro-life organization UK March for Life, recently received compensation after police officers arrested her for praying near an abortion clinic.
