The police have finally apologised to Catholic woman arrested for praying silently outside a closed abortion clinic in Birmingham.
Following a six-month investigation, West Midlands Police have confirmed that they will not bring charges against Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.
The police told her that “there will be no further investigation into the alleged matter, and there will be no further action taken”.
They have also said sorry to her for the length of time taken to reach the decision not to prosecute her for silent prayer.
Ms Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for praying in a “buffer zone” surrounding an abortion facility on Station Road, Birmingham, in March.
It was the second time in four months she had been arrested and it came weeks after a judge in Birmingham dismissed the first case brought against her.
The censorship zone, introduced by local authorities via a “Public Spaces Protection Order,” bans prayer among other activities considered to constitute protest against abortion.
The arrest caught worldwide attention when police accused the charitable volunteer of committing an offence by silently praying in her own mind.
In a video which went viral, an officer is heard telling Ms Vaughan-Spruce: “You’ve said you’ve been engaging in prayer, which is the offence”.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman earlier this month wrote to every police force in the country to clarify that silent prayer was not, in fact, a criminal offence.
Speaking after she received her apology, Ms Vaughan-Spruce said: “This isn’t 1984, but 2023 – I should never have been arrested or investigated simply for the thoughts I held in my own mind. Silent prayer is never criminal.
“I welcome West Midland Police’s decision to end their investigation and their apology for the time it took to do so, but it’s important to highlight the extremely harmful implications of this ordeal not just for myself, but for everyone concerned with fundamental freedoms in the UK.
“What happened to me signals to others that they too could face arrest, interrogation, investigation, and potential prosecution if caught exercising their basic freedom of thought.”
She added: “Now that authorities have twice settled on the conclusion that silent prayer is not a crime – a conclusion also reached by the Home Secretary last week – I am thankful to resume my practice of praying silently for women in crisis pregnancies.”
The decision from the police not to prosecute comes amid pending government plans to implement similar censorial “buffer zones” around abortion facilities across the country.
The Public Order Act, which passed through Parliament in May 2023, would prohibit “influence” in an area of 150 meters around abortion facilities.
Free speech advocates have raised concerns that such vague terminology will criminalise not only harassment, but peaceful conversations, leafleting, and prayer.
An amendment to explicitly protect silent prayer and consensual conversations within the censorship zones was proposed by Andrew Lewer MP, but failed to pass after a vote of 116 to 299.
In her letter to the police, Ms Braverman later said that “silent prayer, within itself, is not unlawful” and that, “holding lawful opinions, even if those opinions may offend others, is not a criminal offence.”
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK, which supported Vaughan-Spruce’s legal defence, said the behaviour of the police had signalled to the world that “fundamental freedoms are vulnerable in the UK”.
He said: “There is now an urgent need for legal changes to stem the tide of policing by politics.
“We hope the decision from West Midlands Police that they will not prosecute free thought, alongside the Home Secretary’s public commitment to protecting silent prayer, will be reflected in legislation, guidance, and practice.”
With support from ADF UK, Ms Vaughan-Spruce is currently considering options to pursue redress for her treatment at the hands of the police.
Meanwhile in Dorset, a father and Afghanistan veteran awaits trial for committing the same act of silent prayer inside a censorial “buffer zone” in Bournemouth.
Adam Smith-Connor, who has been charged for praying in the zone about his own experience of abortion and for the men and women facing difficult decisions about the issue today, will appear at Poole Magistrates Court in November. ADF UK are supporting his legal defence.
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