A Christian preacher has been convicted of displaying a Bible verse in an abortion buffer zone.
The incident occurred in February 2023, outside the Marie Stopes facility in Ealing, west London.
Stephen Green, National Director of the Christian Voice ministry, displayed a Bible verse on sign, whilst standing outside the clinic. The area falls within the Mattock Lane Public Spaces Protection Zone.
In February, he was first convicted of the offence by Uxbridge Magistrates' Court, but appealed the decision.
His choice of scripture was critical to the Crown Court case. It was found that Psalm 139:13: "For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb" was intended as a protest against abortion.
Isleworth Crown Court, led by His Honour Judge Hammerton and accompanied by two magistrates, cited the verse's reference to "the development of the unborn child" as evidence.
Green argued that Ealing Council's ban on specific words effectively censors over 1,000 verses from the King James Bible, a move he sees as "a massive attack on freedom of religion and freedom of expression."
Speaking after the ruling, Green said: “Although Ealing Council argue I was protesting against abortion, I have constantly maintained I was protesting against the buffer zone itself, in particular because Ealing’s list of prohibited words (eg mum, soul, hell, baby, murder) bans the display or articulation of over 1,000 verses of the King James Bible, the one which His Majesty kissed and made his promises on at his coronation in May 2023.”
Stephen has now received a conditional discharge, with the determination of Ealing’s legal costs pending.
He intends to appeal the decision, saying: "If someone does not take a stand against authoritarian law," he stated, "those in power will take more and more of our God-given freedoms."
