Retired pastor Clive Johnston is to appeal his conviction for preaching the Gospel within one of Northern Ireland’s controversial abortion censorship zones.
The former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland was convicted of two charges under the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act for holding an open-air service on the fringes of a buffer zone opposite Coleraine’s Causeway Hospital last year.
His sermon made no reference to abortion, nor were there any abortion placards or banners – a fact accepted by both sides and the judge in court. Yet, Mr Johnston was found guilty of being “reckless” as to whether his actions of preaching and standing near a large cross might ‘influence’ someone accessing the hospital’s abortion services.
This is the first UK buffer zone case in which a person has been criminalised for preaching a sermon that did not mention abortion.
Speaking after confirming his intention to appeal, Mr Johnston said: “This ruling sets a deeply troubling precedent. I was not protesting abortion. 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.”
Mr Johnston’s legal team will argue that the conviction represents a disproportionate interference with fundamental rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and codified into UK law under the Human Rights Act, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of peaceful assembly.