UK Man Arrested for Silently Praying

A U.K. man criminally charged after praying outside of an abortion clinic is speaking up about his case, sharing the details of what unfolded with CBN's Faithwire. Adam Smith-Connor said he was outside the clinic last November for just two or three minutes before community police support officers approached him and started asking questions. "[They] asked me what I was doing and I said I was praying for my deceased son," Smith-Connor explained. "The female officer asked me, 'What is the nature of your prayer?' I was a bit taken aback by that and I said I was praying for my deceased son." He said he neither approached nor spoke to anyone and that he didn’t impede any individual’s privacy. He also said he stands against any harassment of women outside of clinics. But he said the officers told him he was breaching the Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) order — a buffer zone precluding protests and apparently internal prayers outside abortion clinics. The "silent prayer in his mind" was purportedly seen as a protest against abortion and he was told to leave and fined. Lois McLatchie Miller, spokesperson for ADF UK, the legal firm handling Smith-Connor's case, said people hearing his case might think they're "listening to an extract from an Orwellian novel like '1984.'" "But ... this is real. It's in 2023 and police did come over to check Adam's thinking and even ended up prosecuting," she said, going on to explain how the PSPO orders work. As for Smith-Connor, he warned others about the dangers of prosecuting people for thought crimes. "It's just outrageous," he said. "It is un-British, frankly. "It's just wrong." Hear him tell his story; he heads back to court in November. CBN News. Because Truth Matters™ Download the free CBN News App: http://cbnnews.com/app SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: http://youtube.com/c/CBNnewsonline/?s... SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting quickstart.news SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: cbn.com/cbnnews/quickstart What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family:    / cbnnewsonline   Like us on Facebook:   / cbnnews   Like us on Twitter:   / cbnnews   Follow us on Instagram:   / cbnnews   Contact News Editors: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... Questions about other CBN programs: https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... Questions about supporting CBN? http://www1.cbn.com/cbn-partners (and) https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=ht... #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews