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In a case that has raised concerns about freedom of thought, religion and expression, Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor has been at the centre of a controversy for almost two years surrounding his silent prayers within a “buffer zone” for an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, England.
Yesterday he was found guilty. This is a legal turning point in the UK where prayerful thoughts in someone’s mind are considered a criminal offence.
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In October 2022, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council introduced a Public Spaces Protection Order (“PSPO”) in the vicinity of the BPAS abortion clinic in Ophir Road, Bournemouth. The Order designated a “safe zone” around the clinic, within which it is prohibited to engage in protest related to abortion services and other specified activities.
In November 2022, Smith-Connor was spotted behind a tree on a green in a public space about 50 metres from the entrance of the BPAS abortion clinic. He was approached by Catherine Brookfield, a council officer, and accused of engaging in an act of disapproval of the work of the abortion clinic.
She asked him to move on as he was within the buffer zone and acts of “prayer as disapproval” were prohibited by the Council’s PSPO. He refused as he said he was praying for his deceased son and for the women, men, and children still being impacted by abortion today. He is still haunted by the decision he and his then-partner made to abort their unborn child 24 years ago.
“You are telling me that silent prayer is banned in this area? I’m praying in my mind and not approaching anyone. I’m entitled to pray silently for my dead son in a free country,” he said.
He was warned more than once that he could face further action if he did not leave the buffer zone during their conversation, which, according to The Telegraph, lasted for more than 90 minutes.
On 13 December 2022, he was issued with a £100 fine for breach of conduct and threatened with criminal action if he did not pay it. Smith-Connor did not pay it and launched a legal action against the fine. His lawyers at the Alliance Defending Freedom UK (“ADF UK”) made submissions arguing that the state had no power to restrict thoughts directed towards God.
In July 2023, the police informed Smith-Connor that praying silently was not an offence in England and the council dropped the threat of criminal charges against him. But the fine was still due.
As The Daily Sceptic noted, this army vet had fought in Afghanistan because he believed in the principles of freedom that the UK had championed – democracy, free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of thought.
To pay the fine, he believed, would be complicit with the erosion of these fundamental freedoms secured both in international and domestic law. It simply shouldn’t be illegal to pray anywhere in the UK.
He was taken to court; we assume for non-payment of the fine. On 16 November 2023, Smith-Connor had the first hearing for his case.
In September 2024, Smith-Connor’s trial began, with the prosecution arguing that his known views on abortion and silent prayers relating to it were enough to convict him.
Yesterday, a court found Smith-Connor guilty of silently praying within an abortion centre “buffer zone.”
“The Court sentenced Smith-Connor to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £9,000. A conditional discharge is a type of conviction that means Smith-Connor will only be sentenced if he is convicted of any future offences in the next two years,” ADF UK said.
“In its decision, the court reasoned that his prayer amounted to ‘disapproval of abortion’ because at one point his head was seen slightly bowed and his hands were clasped,” ADF UK said.
Co-director of March for Life UK, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, shared her thoughts on the “guilty” verdict in a Twitter post. “If silent prayer becomes a crime, then we’ve moved into the realm of thought policing as well as discriminating against those with religious beliefs,” she said.
“This should be of concern to each and every person of good will regardless of their faith or even which side of the abortion debate they stand on,” she added.
“Praying for pregnant women and their children isn’t a crime.”
Sources for this article include:
- Authorities back down over silent prayer penalty, ADF UK, 18 July 2023
- UK Drops Threat of Charges for Silent Prayer, Breakpoint Colson Centre, 31 July 2023
- “All I did was pray to God” – Adam CONVICTED today, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) UK
- Trial begins for UK pro-lifer and veteran arrested for silent prayer in censorship zone, Live Action, 23 September 2024
- Guilty: Army Vet convicted for praying silently near abortion facility, ADF UK, 16 October 2024
Featured image: Adam Smith-Connor praying outside Poole Law Courts. Source: ADF UK
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Categories: Breaking News
Has Welby spoken out?
Him ! ,of course not he’s not a Christian he’s an apostate 🤥
An upvote from me, but rather a HERETIC!
If say my daughter was having an abortion, it would have been after making a difficult decision.
So I certainly would not like the stress of the day to be added to by encountering objectors on our way to the clinic.
This is NOT an example of punishing thought crime.
Is standing in silence rally a crime? If pregnant women think that simply walking past someone standing in silence is stressful, then that must be because they are not sure that they are making the right decision.
This IS an example of punishing thought crime.
Once the women get inside the clinic, then the staff there will tell them to go ahead with it. At one time, that was a crime.
“really a crime”
I agree that thoughts should NEVER be a crime.
1969 before this date ,it was a crime in England to murder the unborn.
There are much better examples of where a thought crime is against the law. This has other elements, otherwise I would be 100% in support.
The man WAS within the prohibited zone and he was engaged in some kind of protest, otherwise he would have done it at home.
A protest is chanting, waving placards or approaching people to hand out leaflets.
Standing in silence is not a protest – oh, maybe it is in a land where thought crimes are illegal.
The law on prohibition zones should be limited to banning chanting, waving placards or approaching people to hand out leaflets. When it extends to banning standing in silence, then that is proof that thinking is a crime
“There are much better examples of where a thought crime is against the law” – I dare say there are, but this is the particular one the article is about.
If pregnant women think that simply walking past someone standing in silence is stressful, then that must be because they are not sure that they are making the right decision.
Exactly!.
Protest within the home will be next, Tim. Absolute loyalty to the system is the objective. You must think, say, and do only what the system tells you that you can. The same thing is happening in the U.S., though most would not admit it.
When I stand silent for several moments with my eyes closed and hands folded across my middle I am farting.
What a crude person you are.
I don’t see how it is any stranger’s business what a woman does with her body.Are you going to pay for the child? Do you know anything about how she became pregnant? By a local thug, for instance, after horrible rape! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!
He carried no banner. Shouted no obscenities, made no fuss. Casted no dispersion. He was silently praying for his son. And no one else.
Well he obviously doesn’t know scripture 🙄
Surely the difficult decision is to accept responsibility for what you have done and raise the child properly. Turning a blind eye to murder in the womb without ever facing up to the reality of what actually happens during abortion is the absolute definition of selfishness without regard for others. I wonder how doctors who perform abortion reconcile this with the hypocratic oath of first do no harm ? What conversation do they have with their spouse after a long day at work ” how was work today darling ” “oh I’m exhausted dear, murdered umpteen unborn babies but never mind at least the mothers are free to keep opening their legs without consequence “.
Well these people have no conscience.
GOOD POINT, WHY ARE THEY SAYING IT IS?
so killing another human being ,in their most defenseless stage is fine, but ,thinking about whether it is or not ok,is a crime ?. please make that make sense. Also locking up people that choose to murder and rape causes them quite a bit of stress ,that is the point . Many lives have been saved by girls trying to make a ‘life changing ‘ choice ,encounter the evidence of what actually happens ,to the legs and arms and brains and hearts of the ‘clump of cells’ that they are about to affect . Plus the large increase in suicide and cancers among women that do have an abortion .
He was inside the buffer zone, what does he expect? Praying at home is surely just as powerful?
If it is an offence to stand in silent prayer, then surely muslims should be fined for blocking the streets and praying. As usual to tier policing.
Oh well their to scared of them !😡 That’s why COWARDS!!.
“He was inside the buffer zone, what does he expect?” I take it that you approve of the prohibition zone and you believe that a law should be respected.
Years ago, abortion and assisting a woman to have an abortion was illegal, so I presume you would have supported the law on that.
Today, there are people who campaign for paedophilia to be legalised. (I’m not going to do a search to check on the spelling.)
I don’t know how far along The Overton Window we are on that (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window), but let’s say it has happened and certain parks have prohibition zones around them to stop anyone trying to tell men that what are doing is wrong.
I take it you would condemn anyone who entered the zone and tried to protect children from being molested.
It is !. This man obviously doesn’t know the bible. Dead people cannot be prayed for ! To late .
Correct again!
England is now on par with the leadership of Cromwell, in other words, no longer a free country. It is obvious that IRA-like resistance is needed, but call it the BRA or ERA. These control freaks lording over English citizens will never peacefully give up the power they now hold and are hell bent on removing every vestige of freedom held by the English.
Agreed. It’s mind -blowing that more people do not see this.
Nothing wrong with Oliver Cromwell. 😑
A God fearing Puritan.
Disgraceful!
But why did he answer the question, “What were you praying for?”
I would have told them to mind their own business.
I would have walked off .for someone who’s had a important jod he’s stupid . I could go up there and 🙏 “inside the buffer zone” and none would know.😌
Challenge this riculous case get it overturned under the human rights act .
I just want to know what happens to the British and French nukes once the muslims take over.
May death reign in their mortal members until the day they repent of this wickedness.
As The Daily Sceptic noted, this army vet had fought in Afghanistan because he believed in the principles of freedom that the UK had championed – democracy, free speech, freedom of religion and freedom of thought.
The native residents of Afghanistan do not want the west’s supposed values of democracy, free speech, religious freedom and freedom of thought. They are not constituted that way; they have their own culture.
Yet this ex soldier considers it to be morally right for him to go over there and kill people in the name of these “values”? While praying about one aborted child? (I am against abortion, too, so don’t get on my case.)
What is wrong with this picture?
One of the best comments I’ve read for a while.
Actually, there is absolutely nothing “wrong with this picture” as you most correctly observe.
Indeed “they have their own culture”, as did Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, and a whole host of others! But then, how could the coming revived Roman Empire take shape without these formative events taking place?
The western powerhouse (under Satan’s headship) wants to bring all nations under it’s control-more so those surrounding the Mediterranean Sea-being contiguous with Israel.
As for “this ex soldier”, he was, and still is deceived-even praying for his dead son (the Bible forbids), very sad.
As a student of Bible prophecy, I believe, but more so know that democracy is the system that ushers in the coming antichrist.
Thank you for your comment.
I should have added “I’m against abortion too” (very much so!!).
I have read of accounts where many women (torn between two opinions) on their way to the abortion clinic have read the silent witness Christian placards condemning abortion/murder-then suddenly being struck by their God given conscience, decide against it! Praise God.
Now, even this witness has been taken away from any woman on her way to abort her child 🙁
@Islander. Thanks so much for your responses. I am glad someone here agrees with my viewpoint.
By the way, I didn’t know that the Bible forbids praying for the dead, as you say. Can you give me further information?
I am sick and tired of democracy. Democracy is mob rule by people with adolescent-level thinking. Is there one truly wise politician around? I do not see any.
The Bible does not prohibit praying for the dead. Deut. 18:10-11 and Isaiah 19:3—Deur. 18: 10-11 and Isaiah 19:3 condemn necromancy. Prayers are directed to God. 2 Maccabees 12:46 states that “ It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.”