In what has become an increasingly common occurrence, another UK citizen has been convicted for silent prayer in the vicinity of an abortion facility. Adam Smith-Connor, a veteran and father of two, has been sentenced to conditional discharge – a type of probation – and must pay £9,000 in prosecution costs.
Smith-Connor’s guilty verdict comes just weeks before buffer zones will go into effect at every abortion clinic in England and Wales on October 31, as part of the Public Order Act 2023.
It also comes weeks after courts awarded Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who faced similar charges of praying too close to an abortion facility, £13,000 in compensation for wrongful arrest.
In a report from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which supported his defense, Smith-Connor expressed his bafflement that a silent prayer lead to him being considered a felon:
“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?” Smith-Connor asked.
He went on to note his 20 years of service in the army reserves that included a tour of Afghanistan. In the time since he left the armed forces, he has continued to live the spirit of service through volunteering at his church and working as a healthcare professional.
ADF went on to explain that the court found in its decision that Smith-Connor’s prayer counted as “disapproval of abortion,” since he had his hands clasped and his head bowed. It also pointed out that the government spent £90,000 for the court to prosecute this “crime,” which has a maximum fine of £1,000.
Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, commented on the ruling, calling it a “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. 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. Human rights are for all people – no matter their view on abortion.”
