A pastor in Northern Ireland convicted for preaching a sermon near an abortion buffer zone has launched an appeal, warning the ruling threatens freedom of religion and free speech across the UK.
Seventy-eight-year-old Clive Johnston was convicted earlier this month under Northern Ireland’s abortion buffer zone legislation after holding an open-air church service near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine in July 2024.
According to the Christian Institute, which is supporting the appeal, Johnston preached on John 3:16, led hymns and prayed within 100 metres of the hospital grounds. The sermon made no reference to abortion and no placards or protest signs were displayed.
Despite this, the retired pastor and grandfather was found guilty of being “reckless” as to whether his actions could influence someone accessing abortion services at the hospital.
District Judge Peter King said the pastor had “tested the law to the point where he broke the law”. He described Johnston as “a man of strong religious belief and good character”.
The court was told Johnston “was motivated by two reasons: to test the legislation and to influence anyone who heard him towards the Bible and the Christian message generally”.
A £450 fine was imposed, covering both counts.
Speaking after confirming his appeal, Johnston said the conviction represented “a deeply troubling precedent”.
“I was not protesting abortion,” he said. “I was peacefully preaching the gospel, reading from the Bible, and pointing people to the hope found in Jesus Christ.
“If this conviction is allowed to stand, it will signal that basic Christian witness and public expressions of faith can be criminalised simply because they take place in the wrong location.
“That should concern every person who values freedom of religion and freedom of expression, regardless of their views on abortion.”
The Christian Institute described the ruling as a “serious threat” to fundamental freedoms and said Johnston’s legal team would argue the conviction disproportionately interferes with rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of peaceful assembly.
The case is believed to be the first in the UK in which a person has been prosecuted under abortion buffer zone laws for preaching a sermon that did not mention abortion.
Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, said: “This case was never about harassment or intimidation - nobody has alleged Clive Johnston engaged in anything close to this form of behaviour. It is about whether the state can criminalise the peaceful expression of Christian faith in a public place under abortion buffer zones laws.
“The implications of this dangerous ruling reach far beyond one individual pastor in Northern Ireland. If public authorities can prosecute someone for reading the Bible and preaching on God’s love, then fundamental freedoms are at risk.”
Video footage played in court and now circulating online appears to show police officers telling Johnston he should preach in a “safe” area such as a chaplaincy rather than on a public street, where his message might influence passers-by.
The case has attracted international attention. Ahead of the trial, the US State Department raised concerns about the prosecution, describing similar cases as an “egregious violation” of fundamental rights and a “concerning departure” from shared democratic values.
Evangelist Rev Franklin Graham also criticised the conviction, writing online: “Pastor Johnston didn’t even mention abortion; he just preached the Gospel in a public space...Religious freedoms are being threatened not only in the UK, but here in the US, Canada, and around the world.”
Meanwhile, former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg described the ruling as “extraordinary”, and DUP MP Carla Lockhart called it “a very sad day for Northern Ireland”.
