Southampton-born veteran Adam Smith-Connor was convicted for silently praying outside an abortion clinic last year.
The former serviceman, who was deployed to Afghanistan and now works as a physiotherapist, was surprised – but gratified – to be namechecked by the US Vice President JD Vance for his “concerning” plight in an address to world leaders on Friday.
Mr Smith-Connor was handed a two-year conditional discharge and a £9,000 fine in November for praying silently outside an abortion clinic in Bournemouth, Dorset, in 2022.
Poole Magistrates’ Court heard that the 51-year-old breached a ban on protests in the vicinity of the medical centre that had been brought in following anti-abortion demonstrations.
His case was cited by Donald Trump’s second-in-command JD Vance during a speech at the Munich Security Conference this week, as an example of “concerning” censorship on free speech in the UK.
Mr Vance warned that the father-of-two’s conviction, for the “heinous crime of standing 50 metres away from an abortion clinic and silently praying”, put “the basic liberties of religious Britons in the crosshairs”.
Mr Smith-Connor, who is appealing his conviction with support from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) UK, said he was “overwhelmingly grateful” to the Vice President for raising the issue on the world stage.
“Nobody should be criminalised for their prayers, their mere thoughts,” he added. “This case has exposed the UK authorities in front of the world as they allow ‘thought police’ to prosecute peaceful, innocent people for what’s going on in their minds.
“Silent prayers are not a crime – not here, not anywhere.”
The court heard last year that Mr Smith-Connor was seen bowing his head and clasping his hands outside Bournemouth’s British Advisory Pregnancy Service in November 2022.
The three-minute vigil was, he said, in remembrance of his unborn son who was aborted 22 years ago – something he now deeply regrets.
“My son Jacob’s life was brief, but it mattered and I’m deeply moved that the value of his life is being acknowledged by others,” he told The Telegraph.
“As a fellow Catholic, I assume like me [Mr Vance] acknowledges that every abortion is a tragedy not just for the baby whose life is lost but also for their family.”
The UK Government implemented 150-metre buffer zones around abortion facilities across the country last October, banning intentional influence of anyone’s decision to use the services.
Safeguarding minister Jess Philips said the new “protection” areas would ensure “the fundamental right” of women accessing abortion services and feeling safe from “harassment, abuse and intimidation”. Scotland and Northern Ireland have also introduced similar zones.
However, in a wide-ranging address in Munich on Friday, Mr Vance pointed to Mr Smith-Connor’s plight as evidence of “free speech [being] in retreat” across Europe and under the US’ Biden administration.
“In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town,” he said. “And under Donald Trump’s leadership, we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer in the public square.”
