Precious Life welcome Landmark Legal Victory for Pro-Life woman arrested for "silently praying"
Precious Life is proud to stand with Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who courageously defended her fundamental rights in the face of government censorship. Ms. Vaughan-Spruce, a pro-life advocate, won a significant legal victory after receiving a £13,000 settlement from the West Midlands Police for her unlawful arrests while silently praying outside an abortion centre.
Director of Precious Life Bernadette Smyth said, “We commend Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for her bravery in standing up against such blatant violations of her rights. The draconian actions taken against her are not just an affront to her individual freedoms but a dangerous precedent that threatens the liberties of all individuals who wish to peacefully express their beliefs.”
Ms. Vaughan-Spruce was arrested twice for silently praying in a so-called “buffer zone” outside a Birmingham abortion facility. Despite being acquitted of all charges by the Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, she was subjected to a second arrest just weeks later under similar circumstances.
Supported by legal-advocacy firm ADF UK, Ms Vaughan-Spruce issued a claim against West Midlands Police for two wrongful arrests and false imprisonments; assault and battery in relation to an intrusive search of her person; and for a breach of her human rights with regards to the arrests, and to the bail conditions imposed on her.
In a major victory against government censorship, she has now received a £13,000 payout and an apology from the police after she contested her arrests as a breach of her human rights,
Commenting on news of the settlement, Ms Vaughan-Spruce said that she was “delighted” that the settlement acknowledges that there’s “no place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in 21st Century Britain”.
“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’,” 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.
Ms. Vaughan-Spruce’s victory serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting individual freedoms against unjust government interference. While this settlement is a step in the right direction, Precious Life remains deeply concerned about the continuing violations of fundamental rights to free speech and expression of religion in Northern Ireland.
Bernadette Smyth added, “We stand in solidarity with Isabel Vaughan-Spruce and all individuals who are fighting for the right to express their beliefs. But here in Northern Ireland, pro-lifers are still under persecution.”
In Northern Ireland, a mother of four is currently on trial for praying outside a Coleraine abortion centre in October.
Claire Brennan is charged with two offences under the draconian ‘buffer zones’ law passed by the SDLP, Sinn Fein, UUP, Green Party, and PBP to criminalise women and men who pray within 250 metres of an abortion centre, and punishable by fines up to £2500.
Claire’s so-called ‘offences’ are: being outside the baby-killing centre at the Causeway hospital “with the intention, or being reckless as to whether, it would have the effect of influencing” a person attending the centre, and continuing to pray when police ordered her to leave.
Bernadette Smyth concluded, “Prayer should never be criminalised. This is a direct attack on the freedom to think, pray, and peacefully express one’s beliefs in public spaces. The victory by Isabel Vaughan-Spruce proves the ‘buffer zones laws’ in Northern Ireland must be scrapped.”