Update in case of UK veteran arrested for silent prayer ‘thought-crime’ near abortion facility

A United Kingdom (UK) Army veteran will not face criminal charges, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) UK, which is representing him.

According to a press release, the local authorities backed down and refused to take legal action against Adam Smith-Connor. In January, ADF UK announced the arrest of Smith-Connor, who was praying silently near an abortion facility in a Bournesmith censorship zone. Although Smith-Connor turned away from the facility, police still arrested him, claiming he had breached the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

Now Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has refrained from prosecuting Smith-Connor, although originally, he was told he would face criminal charges if he did not pay the fine. Smith-Connor refused to pay the fine for what she called a “thought-crime,” and the council did not press any charges. According to Section 127 of the Magistrates’ Court Act 1980, there is a time limit of six months from the time an offense is committed for information to be “put in court”.

Smith-Connor submitted to the council that the fine was “an interference with his absolute right under Article 9(1) to hold a religious belief,” with the help of ADF UK.

“All of that [Smith-Connor] the doer holds a belief in his head. He does not show his belief by doing some act that has the potential to affect other people. His behavior is purely internal. But since he happened to be praying in his mind about the abortion, Adam will not be asked to leave,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, said in the press release, adding, “Adam is discriminated against by comparison. to another person in a similar situation based on his basic faith-based beliefs.”

READ: Legal win for pro-life activist arrested for silent prayer

Although this is a positive result for Smith-Connor, legislation approving buffer zones outside every single abortion facility in the UK has already been approved.

“No one should be criminalized for what they believe – especially not when they express that belief quietly, in the privacy of their own minds. I’m glad that, in my case, common-sense policing won the day . However, it is not right that I had to wait a full six months for the authorities to determine my fate. The process, in essence, became my punishment,” said Smith-Connor.

“It was unimaginable that I was punished just for praying about my own abortion experience – paying my ex-boyfriend to have one – and my son Jacob, who I lost. The decision I made all those years ago now saddens me deeply. It is not for the authorities to determine the contents of my thoughts on this matter, in a public street. I served in Afghanistan to defend democratic freedom – and yet we see this encroachment on fundamental rights on the streets of Britain today.”