Police pay-out for Christian woman arrested for silent prayer

A Christian woman wrongfully arrested twice for praying silently inside 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 just a few weeks after her acquittal, she was arrested again for praying silently in her head inside an abortion clinic buffer zone. Six cops attended the scene, with one telling her that the offence had been “engaging in prayer”. 

Commenting on the settlement, Vaughan-Spruce said, “There is not any place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in twenty first Century Britain, and due to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I actually have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I’m deeply concerned that this violation might be repeated by 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has reported that the Home Office is considering including a ban on silent prayer in buffer zone laws, and revising draft guidance introduced by the previous Conservative government which said that silent prayer and consensual communication needs to be allowed. 

Vaughan-Spruce expressed concern that her victory could also be short-lived.

“Silent prayer isn’t against the law. Nobody needs to be arrested merely for the thoughts they’ve of their heads – yet this happened to me twice by 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 about to be rolled out by the federal government imminently – the language of which is inherently unclear, and can likely result in further violations against the liberty to wish, or peacefully converse or offer help near abortion facilities.”

Adam Smith-Connor, one other pro-lifer arrested for silent prayer, continues to be awaiting the consequence of his case, which can be being supported by ADF UK. 

Jeremiah Igunnubole, Legal Counsel for ADF UK, said the federal government’s plan to outlaw silent prayer was “overtly contrary to their commitment to international human rights law” and “exposes the crisis of free speech and thought within 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 within the treatment of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.

“We now await the judgment of the court within the case of Adam Smith-Connor – one other individual arrested for his silent thoughts. Britain’s future is dependent upon 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 individuals 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 concerning the prospect of silent prayer being criminalised, warning that it could result in more cases like Vaughan-Spruce’s. 

He said that if the ban becomes law then “not only freedom of speech but freedom of thought might be under threat”.

“It is difficult to assume a more absurd and dangerous situation,” he said. 

“It could be significantly better to keep on with the sensible approach within the previous Home Secretary’s draft guidance, which proposed a significantly better balance between the assorted competing rights and interests. If the federal government scraps it, then it can 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 rustic like ours, which places such a high value on human rights and freedom of speech needs to be horrified at its residents being arrested for his or her silent thoughts or prayer,” he said. 

“But the broader issue stays that we reside through an undemocratic clampdown on Christian speech, expression and thought within the UK which is about to accentuate when the federal government rolls out ‘buffer zones’ nationwide.

“If pro-life thought is taken into account prosecutable today, what other thought crimes might face similar measures tomorrow?”