Local authorities in the UK have filed criminal charges [1] against an army veteran for praying silently within an abortion exclusion zone.
Adam Smith-Connor was issued a fixed penalty notice last December for “praying for his deceased son” a month earlier near an abortion facility in Bournemouth where an exclusion or “buffer zone” is in place.
His first hearing will take place on 9th August and he is expected to enter a “not guilty” plea.
“Nobody should be prosecuted for silent prayer,” said Adam Smith-Connor, upon hearing the news of his prosecution.
“It is unfathomable that in an apparently free society, I am being criminally charged on the basis of what I expressed silently, in the privacy of my own mind. I served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the UK”.