Army Vet Convicted for Committing a “thoughtcrime”
Adam – a veteran of the British Army Reserves who served in Afghanistan – became the first citizen in modern British history to be criminalised on the basis of his thoughts for praying silently near an abortion facility.
On 16 October 2024, Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court convicted and sentenced Adam to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £9,000. Supported by ADF UK, Adam appealed this decision. The Bournemouth Crown Court is set to hear his appeal sometime in the near future.
Adam was sentenced for praying about his own experience, and the son he lost to his decision to pay for an abortion 22 years ago. He was also praying for the men and women facing difficult decisions with regard to abortion that day. He stood with his back to the facility, so as not to be misconstrued as trying to disrupt the privacy of anyone there. But a local regulation banned prayer as an “expression of approval or disapproval of abortion” on that public street. In his case, authorities argue that that ban also applies to silent prayer.
“It isn’t for the authorities to determine the contents of my thoughts on this matter [abortion], on a public street”
– Adam Smith-Connor
Case Summary
A censorship zone or so-called “buffer zone” has been in place in Bournemouth since October 2022. The zone was implemented by local authorities through a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which criminalises engaging in “an act” or even “attempted act” of “approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services, by any means.
This includes but is not limited to “graphic, verbal or written means, prayer or counselling” within an area surrounding the abortion facility. The PSPO further prohibits religious acts, including reading scripture, praying or crossing oneself.
Adam refused to pay his fine because he does not believe it can be illegal to pray in a public space in the UK – let alone in the privacy of one’s mind.
ADF UK is supporting Adam’s legal defence because freedom of thought and freedom of religion are protected absolutely through the Human Rights Act. The local authority – Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council – therefore has no power to introduce a prohibition on silent prayer.
“In permitting the prosecution of silent prayer, we are sailing into dangerous waters regarding human rights protections in the UK. Censorship zones are inherently wrong and engender unhelpful legal confusion regarding the right to free thought. Both domestic and international law have long established freedom of thought as an absolute right that must not ever be interfered with by the state,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK
“Surely a silent thought cannot be a crime. With support from ADF UK, I’m pursuing an appeal against my conviction. The government simply cannot be allowed to determine the content of thoughts and prayers.”
U.S. Vice President Vance: ‘Concerning’ British Silent Prayer Conviction Shows Free Speech is ‘in Retreat’
Addressing world leaders at a security conference in Munich in February 2025, U.S. President J.D. Vance called out UK authorities for prosecuting Adam for his silent prayers.
Listing egregious examples of authoritarian censorship across Europe, Vance highlighted the “most concerning” case of Adam:
“…perhaps most concerning, I look to our very dear friends, the United Kingdom, where the backslide away from conscience rights has placed the basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular, in the crosshairs.
“A little over two years ago, the British government charged Adam Smith Connor, a 51-year-old physiotherapist and an Army veteran, with the heinous crime of standing 50m from an abortion clinic and silently praying for three minutes, not obstructing anyone, not interacting with anyone, just silently praying on his own.”
Upon hearing the words of Vice President Vance, Adam said, “I’m overwhelmingly thankful to Vice President Vance for raising my plight in front of world leaders. Nobody should be criminalised for their prayers, their mere thoughts – this case has exposed the UK authorities in front of the world as they allow “thought police” to prosecute peaceful, innocent people for what’s going on in their minds.
“With support from ADF International, I will be appealing my ruling in July and hope for justice to be restored. Silent prayers are not a crime – not here, not anywhere.”
Read all about the cases of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce and Father Sean Gough, both of whom were prosecuted for praying silently in their heads in an abortion facility “censorship zone” in Birmingham. Both have been found innocent in court, with the support of ADF UK.