A Christian woman wrongfully arrested twice for praying silently within an abortion clinic buffer zone has received £13,000 in compensation from West Midlands Police.
The force settled with Isabel Vaughan-Spruce after she claimed wrongful arrests, false imprisonments, assault and battery in relation to the search of her person by officers, a breach of her human rights, and bail conditions branded "onerous" by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK) which supported her case.
She was first arrested in November 2022 for praying silently in her head in a buffer zone around a clinic in Birmingham that banned all expressions of "approval or disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means". She was arrested and tried before being acquitted by Birmingham Magistrates' Court in February 2023.
Just a few weeks after her acquittal, she was arrested again for praying silently in her head within an abortion clinic buffer zone. Six police officers attended the scene, with one telling her that the offence had been "engaging in prayer".
Commenting on the settlement, 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."
The Telegraph has reported that the Home Office is considering including a ban on silent prayer in buffer zone legislation, and revising draft guidance introduced by the previous Conservative government which said that silent prayer and consensual communication should be allowed.
Vaughan-Spruce expressed concern that her victory may be short-lived.
"Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that 'prayer is an offence'," she said.
She continued, "Our culture is shifting towards a clampdown on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship.
"A 'buffer zone' policy is set to be rolled out by the government imminently – the language of which is inherently unclear, and will likely lead to further violations against the freedom to pray, or peacefully converse or offer help near abortion facilities."
Adam Smith-Connor, another pro-lifer arrested for silent prayer, is still awaiting the outcome of his case, which is also being supported by ADF UK.
Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said the government's plan to outlaw silent prayer was "brazenly contrary to their commitment to international human rights law" and "exposes the crisis of free speech and thought in the UK today".
"Law enforcers are dutybound to vigilantly protect, not prosecute, the peaceful exercise of fundamental rights," he said.
"Yet across the country, Christians exercising their basic rights to peaceful expression have faced criminal charges for silently praying, or offering consensual conversations to, women in need. We are delighted that West Midlands Police have acknowledged wrongdoing and injustice in the treatment of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.
"We now await the judgment of the court in the case of Adam Smith-Connor – another individual arrested for his silent thoughts. Britain's future depends on our ability to accommodate different beliefs and viewpoints. Censorship violates human rights."
Tory peer and former cabinet minister Lord Frost said it was "incredible" that people were being arrested for "thoughtcrime" in modern Britain. He said Vaughan-Spruce's arrests had been "unjust" and that he was "glad" she had received compensation.
He shared concerns about the prospect of silent prayer being criminalised, warning that it would lead to more cases like Vaughan-Spruce's.
He said that if the ban becomes law then "not just freedom of speech but freedom of thought will be under threat".
"It is hard to imagine a more absurd and dangerous situation," he said.
"It would be much better to stick to the sensible approach in the previous Home Secretary's draft guidance, which proposed a much better balance between the various competing rights and interests. If the government scraps it, then it will be clear to all that its commitment to civil liberties and fundamental freedoms is paper-thin," he said.
Tory peer Lord Farmer said Vaughan-Spruce's arrests were "a travesty of justice" and that it was "right" to receive compensation from the police.
"A country like ours, which places such a high value on human rights and freedom of speech should be horrified at its citizens being arrested for their silent thoughts or prayer," he said.
"But the wider issue remains that we are living through an undemocratic clampdown on Christian speech, expression and thought in the UK which is set to intensify when the government rolls out 'buffer zones' nationwide.
"If pro-life thought is considered prosecutable today, what other thought crimes might face similar measures tomorrow?"
