A judge in the United Kingdom has allowed prosecutors who are trying to convict a woman for standing and praying outside a medical center to correct their charges against her, which he determined were “not properly drafted.”
But he still foreshadowed an uphill climb for the prosecution against the woman, who previously won her battle against similar charges, and even won a cash settlement of thousands of dollars.
It was Judge Tan Ikram in Birmingham who pointed out the prosecution charges against Isabel Vaughan-Spruce failed because the law under which they were filed required an “act,” which was not included.
He allowed prosecutors to correct their mistake, and Vaughan pleaded innocent, but the judge still noted, “Standing is not a crime. … It doesn’t matter how many times you do it, mere presence is not enough.”
He said at issue will be whether she had the requisite intent to violate the law, which bars “influencing” someone regarding an abortion.
Vaughan-Spruce is appearing in Birmingham Magistrates’ Court with a trial set for next year.
Her defense lawyers have argued that her human rights have been breached and prosecutors are punishing her by abusing the process itself. They cite Articles 9 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
🚨BREAKING: Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has pleaded “not guilty” to fresh charges for standing and silently praying inside a “buffer zone”. The new charges were presented at an ongoing hearing, in which Isabel’s legal team is arguing that her prosecution amounts to an “abuse of process” and breaches her human rights to freedom of thought and religion. The judge has also commented that “standing is not a crime” and “Courts are not here to pass judgment on people’s views.” UK censorship and thought policing must end. Read the full press release on our website 👇
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) October 7, 2026
“Are you praying?” “I might be praying in my head, not out loud.” Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was the first person to be criminally charged under ”buffer zone” legislation for silently praying. She has now pleaded NOT GUILTY to fresh charges presented during a preliminary hearing. 👇👇👇
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) October 7, 2026
She is accused of “standing and silently praying outside an abortion facility in Birmingham.” Authorities claim she violated a buffer zone law that bans anyone from “influencing any person’s decision” regarding abortion.
The counts stem from her actions in 2025 in West Midlands, where police said she was suspected of breaking the law.
Actually, ADF International confirmed she has been peacefully praying in the same public area for years.
Her lawyers say silent prayer and a “mere presence” are outside the scope of the buffer zone law, and further, Parliament cannot interfere with the absolute rights to freedom of thought and to hold a religious belief.
“I am deeply troubled by this violation of the basic right to my own thoughts and to my deeply-held Christian pro-life convictions,” she said.
Her lawyer, Jeremiah Igunnubole, warned, “To criminally charge someone simply for holding a certain belief within a certain location amounts to thought policing, which has no place in a democratic society.”
He pointed out since harassment and abusive behavior already are separate offenses, the new agenda is being used “to punish those engaged in peaceful conduct for nothing other than what they think or believe.”
It’s not the woman’s first go-round with such a leftist agenda. She was arrested in 2023, twice, on similar claims by prosecutors, but she was acquitted, and when she challenged the police actions she receied a settlement of thousands of dollars.
A Christian charity volunteer has bagged a £13,000 payout and an apology from the police, who admitted that her arrest for silently praying outside an abortion clinic was not only unjust but also a breach of her human rights. Isabel 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 in 2022 and 2023.
— ‘Seeing is believing’ (@dave24144975) August 19, 2024
