A Christian woman is under investigation by police for praying silently near an abortion clinic, months after receiving a financial settlement over previous wrongful arrests for the same activity. Police have confirmed that the inquiry is ongoing, despite earlier legal rulings that her conduct did not breach any law.
West Midlands Police in central England confirmed that there is an active investigation into Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who has been engaging in silent prayer on a public street near an abortion facility in Birmingham, ADF International reported.
Officers have attended the location where she prays and, on regular occasions, have approached her to ask if she is praying, said the legal advocacy group.
This is the third time police have responded to her silent prayer.
In 2023, Vaughan-Spruce, a charitable volunteer who has supported mothers in crisis pregnancies for two decades, was arrested for praying within a “buffer zone” created by a Public Spaces Protection Order that prohibited “expressions of approval or disapproval” of abortion. The incident occurred when the abortion facility was closed.
Prosecutors offered no evidence to proceed, and she was acquitted.
Weeks after the acquittal, she was arrested again at the same location, also for silently praying. That investigation lasted several months. In August 2024, she successfully challenged the two arrests and received a settlement of £13,000 (roughly $17,500) from West Midlands Police.
Despite that outcome, Vaughan-Spruce has continued to pray near the facility on a weekly basis. She has said her actions have remained the same for 20 years, consisting of standing silently and praying.
Police have been observed posting two officers to monitor her as she prays.
Vaughan-Spruce lodged a complaint with the West Midlands Police alleging repeated harassment and interrogation without officers explaining any breach of the law. She stated that her treatment contradicted the earlier court verdict and guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service.
The complaint was rejected on the grounds that an active investigation was underway, although she stated she had never been formally informed of this.
West Midlands Police have stated that they’re awaiting advice from the Crown Prosecution Service on how to proceed with the allegations. The CPS has previously determined that silent prayer in public does not meet the evidential or public interest thresholds required for prosecution.
Under new CPS guidance, conduct that is not “overt” is considered outside the scope of criminality.
The new case is believed to be the first application of that guidance under the national “buffer zone” legislation.
Vaughan-Spruce said she was astonished to face another investigation for the same activity.
“Despite being fully vindicated multiple times after being wrongfully arrested for my thoughts, it’s unbelievable that I am still being harassed by police for silently praying in that area, and yet again find myself under investigation for the same prayers I have said for 20 years. Silent prayer cannot possibly be a crime — everyone has the right to freedom of thought,” she said.
The “buffer zone” law is intended to prevent harassment of those accessing abortion services, but it prohibits broadly defined “influence” near clinics. Critics argue that the wording is vague and risks being applied to peaceful conduct that does not involve communication with clinic visitors.
“‘Buffer zones’ are among the most concerning frontiers of censorship in the modern West. We all stand against harassment and abuse, but the ‘buffer zone’ law broadly bans ‘influence’, which is being interpreted by police officers to target innocent people who happen to stand in a certain place and believe a certain thing,” Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International, which is supporting Vaughan-Spruce’s legal defense, said. “We will continue to robustly challenge this unjust censorship and support Isabel’s right to think and believe freely.”
The PSPO in Birmingham is one of several such orders introduced in the U.K. to enforce “buffer zones” outside abortion facilities. National legislation enabling such zones went into effect last year, following a parliamentary vote.
Vaughan-Spruce’s legal team has argued that silent prayer falls within rights to freedom of thought and belief protected under U.K. law and international human rights instruments. They maintain that previous decisions by the CPS and the courts have already established that her conduct is lawful.
