A Christian volunteer has been criminally charged for standing silently near an abortion facility, in what supporters say is the first prosecution under England’s new national buffer zone law. 

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was charged by West Midlands Police and the Crown Prosecution Service after being investigated for silent prayer on a public street near an abortion facility in Birmingham. 

The case was brought under Section nine of the Public Order Act 2023, which introduced nationwide buffer zones banning “influencing” within 150 metres of abortion facilities and came into force in October 2024.  

Vaughan-Spruce will appear in court on 29th January 2026, supported by the Christian legal group, ADF International. 

Vaughan-Spruce commented: “Despite being fully vindicated multiple times after being wrongfully arrested for my thoughts, it’s unbelievable that I have yet again been charged for standing in that public area and holding pro-life beliefs.” 

She added: “Silent prayer or holding pro-life beliefs cannot possibly be a crime. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought.” 

ADF International legal counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole said buffer zones were “one of the most concerning frontiers of censorship in the modern west”, arguing that the law was being used to target “innocent people who happen to stand in a certain place and believe a certain thing”. 

“We will continue to robustly challenge this unjust censorship, and support Isabel’s right to think and believe freely as is the right of every person in the UK,” he added.