Christian pastor Clive Johnston was prosecuted on 7 May for leading an outdoor Sunday service within a buffer zone outside a hospital in Northern Ireland (NI). The retired pastor described the ruling as a “dark day for Christian freedom”, with pro-life charities calling it “creeping censorship”.
Johnston was found guilty of breaching the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act 2023 when he led a service on 7 July 2024, outside Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, County Derry.
The 2023 act criminalizes conduct within designated “buffer zones” where it is intended to influence, or is “reckless” as to whether it may influence, a “protected person” accessing abortion services.
Johnston is the first person prosecuted under the act. He argued his sermon did not refer to abortion or contain explicit pro-life messaging, but the court ruled that, given the location and surrounding circumstances, the conduct constituted a criminal offence.
Prayer Becomes Criminal Offence
Speaking after being found guilty, Johnston called the verdict a “dark day for Christian freedom”.
“[T]he buffer zone legislation is so broad that holding a Sunday service has been found to be a criminal offence”, said the former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, after the verdict. “If someone is out there causing trouble, stirring up violence, harassing or verbally attacking people, then, absolutely, go ahead and prosecute them”, he continued.
“But I wasn’t doing any of those things as the police video shows and as everyone involved in this case accepts.”
Johnston said that he and his legal team will discuss their options, adding that he is “keen to appeal”.
The court heard that the pastor had conducted an open-air religious service near the hospital, quoting passages from the Bible while standing close to a large crucifix and using a microphone.
Footage from police body-worn cameras showed members of the group singing gospel hymns.
It was not alleged that he mentioned abortion, displayed anti-abortion placards or delivered an explicit pro-life speech.
However, the prosecution argued that given the location of the service, the presence of the clinic, the cross, the hymns and the broader context, the act amounted to “an attempt to influence individuals accessing abortion services”.
It was contended that Johnston had chosen that specific location because of the clinic’s presence.
The court accepted that, taking into account the location and the surrounding circumstances, the legal threshold under the Safe Access Zones legislation had been met. He was found guilty on both counts and fined £450. Ciarán Kelly, director of the Christian Institute, a pro-life Christian charity, said the decision encouraged “creeping censorship”.
“If the ruling stands it will represent a shocking new restriction on freedom of religion and freedom of speech so we will be helping Clive to consider the options for appeal”, he added.
Pro-Life Legal Victory
Meanwhile, a Scottish granny has had a similar “buffer zone” case overturned by a local court.
Rose Docherty was the first person to be prosecuted under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones Scotland Act of 2024), after police detained her in September 2025 near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for holding a sign reading: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want”.
On April 27, the Sheriff Appeal Court in Glasgow dismissed charges that Docherty had sought to “influence” people within the buffer zone.
Sheriff Stuart Reid found that the prosecutor had “failed to disclose an offence known to the law of Scotland”. The sheriff dismissed the case in pro loco et tempore, meaning it could return to court if new evidence emerged and if a prosecution was deemed to be in the public interest.
During the hearing, the prosecutors said it was still making enquiries as to how many people, if any, Docherty influenced in the buffer zone.
Following her 2025 arrest, she said: “I was there to speak with people only if they wanted to speak with me. I wasn’t approaching anyone, I wasn’t behaving in a manner that was intimidating or harassing anyone.”
Buffer zone legislation has been introduced across the UK – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – and in Ireland over the past three years.
