Noted pro-life activist Ms Vaughan-Spruce was arrested twice, the arrested for the crime of silent prayer, for allegedly breaching a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), or “buffer zone”, imposed around a BPAS abortion facility.
“Are you praying”, she was asked by the police before her arrest; Ms Vaughan-Spruce responded, “I might be praying in my head.” It has now been ruled that her arrests, including an intrusive search, were wrongful and breached her human rights.
Commenting on the case, Ms Vaughan-Spruce said: “There is no place for Orwell’s Thought Police in 21st-century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that.
“Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces. Our culture is shifting towards a clampdown on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship.”
Last year, then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman informed police forces that silent prayer around abortion facilities is “not unlawful”.
However, in the aftermath of the 2024 General Election and the coming to power of the Labour Government, the Home Office has signaled that it might outlaw silent prayer as part of enforcing buffer zones.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “Despite this police apology, the human rights and established freedoms of British citizens are still threatened by the pro-abortion lobby, which will stop at nothing to force its hideous ethic on ordinary people.
“Buffer zones are illiberal and breach numerous rights, which might be why such legislation, approved by MPs last year, has been delayed because it cannot be reconciled with freedom of speech, thought and religion.
“The UK stands over a precipice. We cannot allow this nation to fall into a pit of censorship and thoughtcrime, a dystopian nightmare that could very soon become all too real.”
