A Christian mother who became the first person convicted under Northern Ireland’s abortion “safe access zone” laws has had her conviction overturned after the case collapsed in court.
Claire Brennan, from Ballymena, had been found guilty of breaching the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 after she was accused of praying and speaking to women outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
But at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court, District Judge King quashed the conviction after key witnesses failed to appear and the remaining evidence was ruled insufficient to support the charge.
The case related to alleged incidents in 2025, with Brennan accused of “influencing” people within a 150-metre buffer zone around the hospital. Prosecutors relied on CCTV and written statements, but were unable to prove she had approached one of the complainants.
Brennan denied any wrongdoing, saying she had been acting peacefully and offering prayer and support.
Speaking after the ruling, she said: “This is a huge relief… I have always acted peacefully, praying, offering hope, and trying to help women who may feel they have no alternative.”
She also criticised the law, saying the zones “silence prayer” and restrict free speech.
Earlier this month, retired pastor Clive Johnston was convicted after sharing a Bible verse and preaching near the same hospital. He was found guilty of offences under the same law and fined, with the court hearing he had been “motivated… to influence anyone who heard him towards the Bible and the Christian message generally”, and that he had “tested the law to the point where he broke the law”, according to the judge.
Supporters of Johnston described the ruling as “creeping censorship” and warned that the law was being used to criminalise gospel preaching.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, who is supporting Brennan with her case, said the collapse of her case "exposes serious flaws in the enforcement of these so-called ‘censorship zones’".
"Claire Brennan was engaged in peaceful, compassionate activity, praying and offering support," she said. "Yet she faced criminal prosecution for living out her Christian faith."
"These laws are having a chilling effect across Northern Ireland, criminalising ordinary people who simply want to offer women real choice, including alternatives to abortion. No society committed to freedom can justify punishing prayer or quiet offers of help," she concluded.