A Christian woman in Britain who was arrested after silently praying outside an abortion clinic has been awarded a £13,000 (€15,254) payout and an apology from the police.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce issued a claim against West Midlands Police for 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 in 2022 and 2023.
Responding to the award, the Pro Life Campaign said: “This is a significant victory for Isabel Vaughan Spruce, the pro-life movement, and freedom of expression. The manner in which she was treated by the police in England was deeply regrettable.
“The idea that it could be a crime to engage in silent prayer is obscene. It certainly breached Article 9.1 of the ECHR, focused on freedom of thought. Since this is an absolute right, it cannot ever be ‘balanced’ against other rights. We are glad to see this outcome in England and hope it will generate some debate in Ireland about the extreme nature of ‘safe access zones’, which are set to commence in Ireland soon,” the statement concluded.
In Ireland the Safe Access Zones Bill was signed into law by Michael D. Higgins in May, but the law requires that an operational order be signed by Minister Stephen Donnelly. To date, he has not yet signed this operational order. In July Minister Donnelly said his department “is currently engaging with relevant stakeholders in relation to the commencement of the legislation”.