A woman arrested twice for saying a "silent prayer" outside an abortion clinic has received an apology and a payout from law enforcement.
Modernity News reported that Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a volunteer for a Christian charity, was first arrested by West Midlands Police (WMP) officers in November 2022. She was apprehended for silently praying inside a 'buffer zone' near an abortion clinic in Birmingham. Vaughan-Spruce challenged the accusations in the Birmingham Magistrates' Court, with judges clearing her of all charges in February 2023 after prosecutors failed to show sufficient evidence.
However, she was again arrested for the same offense in March 2023. According to the Telegraph, six WMP officers responded to the scene. "You've said you're engaging in prayer, which is the offense," one of the officers told Vaughan-Spruce. (Related: Truly EVIL: U.K. high court BANS PRAYERS near abortion clinics.)
But following a six-month probe, police dropped charges against her. The WMP also apologized to Vaughan-Spruce regarding the lengthy process. Aside from this, she also received a payout of £13,000 ($16,949.40).
The Telegraph continued that the case was closed shortly after former Home Secretary Suella Braverman confirmed that silent prayer "is not unlawful" in an open letter to police. Faith-based legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom UK (ADF UK) supported Vaughan-Spruce's legal defense.
"Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads," Vaughan-Spruce told the Telegraph. "Yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the WMP, who explicitly told me that 'prayer is an offense.'"
"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 … acknowledges that."
Others could suffer the same fate as Vaughan-Spruce
Despite the apology and payout she received, Vaughan-Spruce expressed concern that others who pray silently outside abortion clinics could suffer the same fate as her.
"I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces. Our culture is shifting toward a clampdown on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship."
David Frost, a member of the House of Lords and a former cabinet minister under erstwhile British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, commented on the Christian volunteer's predicament.
"It is incredible that people have been arrested for thought crime in modern Britain. I am very glad Ms. Vaughan-Spruce has received compensation for her unjust arrest for this so-called offense," he said.
"But if a recent report is correct that the government is considering formally criminalizing silent prayer outside abortion centers, then there will be further such cases. And then, not just freedom of speech but also freedom of thought will be under threat. It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation."
Modernity News confirmed this report, noting that the new Labor government under incumbent British Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated its intent to junk previous guidance allowing silent prayer within these buffer zones. Under the same guidance, pro-life activists are allowed to hand out leaflets and engage in conversation with women mulling infanticide.
"We specifically voted against proposals to allow silent prayer and consensual communication in safe access zones, said British Policing Minister Diana Johnson.
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