A U.K. Army veteran has been ordered to pay £9,000 in prosecution costs after he was convicted for silently praying outside an abortion facility.
Adam Smith-Connor was sentenced to a “conditional discharge,” a conviction that means he will only be sentenced to prison if he is convicted of “any future offences in the next two years,” Alliance Defending Freedom U.K. (ADF) explained.
According to the court, Smith-Connor’s prayer amounted to a “disapproval of abortion.”
The case pertains to a 2022 incident where Smith-Connor violated “buffer zone” policies. He was later questioned on “the nature of his prayers,” ADF wrote.
In response to the ruling, Smith-Connor said the court “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,” he said, “and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?”
Smith-Connor added that it “troubles” him to see “thoughtcrimes” being prosecuted in the U.K.
According to the Public Spaces Protection Order, it is illegal to protest abortion within the “safe zone.” This involves “engaging in any act of approval/disapproval or attempted act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means. This includes but is not limited to, graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling.”
