UK ‘thought police’ settle claim, pay woman wrongfully arrested for silent prayer

A British woman received a settlement worth around $17,000 from police after being wrongfully arrested twice for “thought crimes” in the U.K.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested in November 2022 and again in March 2023 for allegedly violating a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) when she prayed silently within a “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham, England.

The PSPO bans the expression of “approval or disapproval with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means” near an abortion clinic. The order’s intent is reportedly to prevent intimidation and harassment of any person seeking abortion services.

In a viral post on X, an officer with the West Midlands police department can be seen arresting the woman in March 2023. During the arrest, she is told she is being arrested for praying. 

“You’ve said you’re engaging in prayer, which is the offense,” the officer says.  

“Silent prayer,” Vaughan-Spruce replies.  

“You were still engaging in prayer, which is the offense,” the officer concludes before arresting her.   

Initially, Vaughan-Spruce was facing four charges related to “protesting and engaging in an act that is intimidating to service users.” 

In her defense, she says the clinic was closed at the time of her first arrest, in November 2022. Additionally, she says she was there simply to offer support and “found it particularly shocking” to be accused of “intimidating” women. 

“I was there simply to pray for women facing very difficult situations and decisions,” she said. “Prayer isn’t a crime. Neither is standing.” 

In fact, she says she “would condemn anyone who tries to intimidate or harass women.” 

Ultimately the charges were dropped when the prosecutor told the judge Vaughan-Spruce’s case didn’t meet the “full code test” to proceed. This test is meant to determine if a prosecution is in the best interest of the public and whether there is a reasonable chance of conviction. 

In September 2023, the West Midlands police formally apologized for the six-month ordeal and confirmed it was ending all further investigations and activities related to her case. 

“This isn’t 1984, but 2023 – I should never have been arrested or investigated simply for the thoughts I held in my own mind. Silent prayer is never criminal,” she said when she received the apology. 

While she was grateful the matter was resolved, she feared more pro-life supporters would face similar persecution. 

“I welcome West Midlands Police’s decision to end their investigation and their apology for the time it took to do so, but it’s important to highlight the extremely harmful implications of this ordeal not just for myself, but for everyone concerned with fundamental freedoms in the UK. 

“What happened to me signals to others that they too could face arrest, interrogation, investigation, and potential prosecution if caught exercising their basic freedom of thought. Now that authorities have twice settled on the conclusion that silent prayer is not a crime – a conclusion also reached by the Home Secretary last week – I am thankful to resume my practice of praying silently for women in crisis pregnancies.” 

After the settlement, she again expressed relief that her ordeal is over for now but expressed lingering concerns over the enforcement of the order moving forward. 

“Silent prayer is not a crime. Nobody should be arrested merely for the thoughts they have in their heads – yet this happened to me twice at the hands of the West Midlands Police, who explicitly told me that prayer is an offence. 

“There is no place for Orwell’s ‘thought police’ in 21st-century Britain, and thanks to legal support I received from ADF UK, I’m delighted that the settlement that I have received today acknowledges that. Yet despite this victory, I am deeply concerned that this violation could be repeated at the hands of other police forces. 

“Our culture is shifting towards a clamp down on viewpoint diversity, with Christian thought and prayer increasingly under threat of censorship.” 

Lord Michael Farmer, former treasurer of the UK’s Conservative Party, shares Vaughan-Spruce’s concerns. 

“A country like ours, which places such a high value on human rights and freedom of speech should be horrified at its citizens being arrested for their silent thoughts or prayer,” he said after the settlement. 

“What happened to Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was a travesty of justice and it is right that West Midlands Police make some compensation for the hardship she has endured. But the wider issue remains that we are living through an undemocratic clampdown on Christian speech, expression and thought in the UK which is set to intensify when the government rolls out ‘buffer zones’ nationwide. 

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