TOMORROW: Scottish grandmother to plead in court for offering conversation in “buffer zone” 

  • Christian grandmother Rose Docherty was arrested for holding a sign reading “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” outside a Glasgow hospital.
  • Tomorrow she will enter a plead in court; ADF International is legally supporting the case.
  • Hearing follows Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference last week expressing concern about Mrs Docherty’s criminalisation.

GLASGOW (12 January 2026) – A Glaswegian grandmother will enter a plea in court tomorrow afternoon after she was arrested and criminally charged for offering consensual conversation in a “buffer zone”.  

Rose Docherty, 75, faces two charges related to alleged “influencing” within a “buffer zone”, despite having only stood peacefully and silently offering consensual conversation outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow last September. 

She held a sign that read: “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want” and did not approach any individual or make any statement about abortion.  

Mrs Docherty will tomorrow enter a plea at Glasgow Sheriff Court. The hearing is due to start at 2pm.  

The Christian grandmother is the first person to be charged under Scotland’s censorial 2024 “buffer zone” law, which forbids harassment, intimidation and “influencing” of anyone seeking to access abortion services. The “buffer zones” are enforced within 200 metres of every hospital.  

The US State Department expressed concern over Mrs Docherty’s arrest as “another egregious example of the tyrannical suppression of free speech happening across Europe” and last week the Scottish Catholic Bishops’ Conference also expressed concern, and strongly criticised Scotland’s “buffer zone” legislation. 

“Everybody has the right to engage in consensual conversation. I held my sign with love and compassion, inviting anyone who wants to chat, to do so – and stood peacefully, not approaching anyone.   I should not be treated as a criminal for inviting people to chat with me – lending a listening ear. Conversation is not forbidden on the streets of Glasgow. And yet, this is the second time I have been arrested for doing just that.”"

- Rose Docherty

Mrs Docherty said:  “Everybody has the right to engage in consensual conversation. I held my sign with love and compassion, inviting anyone who wants to chat, to do so – and stood peacefully, not approaching anyone.   

“I should not be treated as a criminal for inviting people to chat with me – lending a listening ear. Conversation is not forbidden on the streets of Glasgow. And yet, this is the second time I have been arrested for doing just that.” 

Legal Counsel for ADF International, Jeremiah Igunnubole commented:  

“It’s deeply concerning that Scottish policing resources are being ploughed into arresting and prosecuting a peaceful grandmother offering to speak to people in public, rather than focusing on the problems caused by real crime in Glasgow.  

“This is not a case about harassment, intimidation or violent protest – this is simply a grandmother, who held a sign offering to speak to anyone who would like to engage.” 

Following her arrest, Mrs Docherty was held in custody for several hours. She was refused a chair to sit on in her cell, despite making it known that she had a double hip replacement.  

This was Mrs Docherty’s second arrest for peacefully offering consensual conversation. Last August, Scottish authorities dropped their case against her for holding the same sign in the same place, after a global outcry against the 75-year-old grandmother’s arrest, including concerns raised in an online post by the US State Department.  

The US State Department commented on Mrs Docherty’s latest arrest:  

“The arrest of Rose Docherty is another egregious example of the tyrannical suppression of free speech happening across Europe.  

“When 75-year-old grandmothers are being arrested for standing peacefully and offering conversation, common sense and basic civility are under attack.  

“The United States will always speak out against these violations of fundamental rights.”  

The architect of Scotland’s “buffer zone” law, Gillian Mackay MSP, admitted on BBC Scotland earlier last year that the vague prohibitions in the legislation could criminalise someone for praying visibly from a window in their home within a “buffer zone”, “depending on who’s passing by the window.”  

US Vice President JD Vance highlighted this law as a particular matter for concern in his Munich Security Conference speech in February last year.  

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Prosecutor Backs Down in Case Against Scottish Grandmother in Major Free Speech Victory

Rose Docherty in Scotland
  • Procurator Fiscal withdraws warning, confirms Rose Docherty will not be charged for offering consensual, peaceful conversation inside abortion “buffer zone” in Glasgow 
  • Docherty held a sign reading “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, if you want” – ADF International co-ordinated her legal defence

GLASGOW (14 August 2025) – In a win for freedom of expression in Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal has decided not to proceed with a prosecution against 75-year-old grandmother Rose Docherty, who was arrested earlier this year for holding a sign offering to talk with anyone who wished (see video above).  

The authorities have further guaranteed that Docherty’s sign will be returned to her from Police Scotland. 

"This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation."

- Rose Docherty

On 19 February 2025, Docherty – a lifelong Glaswegian – stood peacefully within 200 metres of Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth II Hospital campus holding a sign that read:

“Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”

Her quiet presence fell within the so-called “buffer zone” around the hospital, where a new law prohibits harassment, intimidation, or influencing decisions about abortion. Despite engaging in none of these activities, Rose was arrested and later offered a formal warning requiring her to admit wrongdoing and refrain from similar actions in future.

Refusing to compromise her conscience by admitting to an offence she did not commit, Docherty – supported by the legal team at ADF International – rejected the warning outright. This week, the Procurator Fiscal confirmed the case has been dropped and the warning withdrawn.

Reacting to the news, Rose Docherty said:

“This is a victory not just for me, but for everyone in Scotland who believes we should be free to hold a peaceful conversation.

“I stood with love and compassion, ready to listen to anyone who wanted to talk. Criminalising kindness has no place in a free society.”

Lorcan Price, Irish Barrister and Legal Counsel for ADF International, said:

“No one should fear arrest for offering a consensual conversation. Rose’s case is a stark example of how ‘buffer zone’ laws can be weaponised to silence peaceful expression. 

“We are relieved that common sense has prevailed, but the fact that Rose was arrested and threatened with prosecution shows the urgent need to protect fundamental freedoms in Scotland.”

Docherty’s arrest drew international attention, with the US State Department publicly expressing concern about her arrest, adding: “Freedom of expression needs to be protected.  We call on governments, whether in Scotland or around the world, to respect freedom of expression for all.”

Gillian Mackay admits buffer zones impact prayer within homes

In February, Gillian Mackay MSP admitted that prayer by a window in one’s own home could be an offence within a buffer zone – depending on who is passing by.

Speaking to BBC’s “Scotcast” Podcast, the Green Party Politician repeatedly denied that prayer was being criminalised under the law. 

But when asked if “performative prayer” with “clasped hands”, visible from a window, could be prosecuted, she responded: “well, that depends on who’s passing by the window…”

The admission came despite previously accusing US President JD Vance of spreading “shameless misinformation” when he highlighted concerns that “even private prayer within [people’s] own homes may amount to breaking the law” in his Munich Security Conference Speech earlier this year.

Lois McLatchie Miller, Scottish spokesperson for ADF International, said: 

“We were concerned when such legislation was proposed that we’d witness a slippery slope of censorship. Less than a year after the law coming into force, Gillian Mackay has admitted that it could impact silent prayer even in private homes, depending on who’s passing by the window. And what’s more, we’ve seen an innocent grandmother arrested just for offering conversation. Who are the authorities to determine which conversations, thoughts, or prayers members of the public do or don’t want to have?”

ADF International will continue to offer legal support to individuals like Rose Docherty, defending the right to peacefully engage in conversation or prayer without fear of criminalisation.

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Christian woman convicted for offering consensual conversation in abortion facility ‘buffer zone’, ordered to pay £20,000 in prosecution costs

Livia is guilty.

  • Retired clinical scientist and Christian Dr Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, found guilty this morning at Poole Magistrates’ Court

  • Dr Tossici-Bolt held a sign reading ‘here to talk, if you want’ and did not engage in harassment, intimidation, or obstruction. Her legal defence is supported by ADF International

  • The US State Department this week expressed concern about freedom of expression in the UK, commenting it was ‘monitoring’ her case

Livia is guilty.

BOURNEMOUTH (4 April 2025) – A Christian woman was this morning convicted for offering consensual conversation in a censorial “buffer zone”.

Dr Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, was found guilty at Poole Magistrates’ Court. Despite finding as a fact that “the sign made no reference to pregnancy, abortion, or religious matters” and hearing evidence from one council officer that “he did not witness her intimidating or harassing any individual”, District Judge Austin ruled that council officers had a reasonable belief that she was in violation of the PSPO.

One of the council officers testified that “he formed the view that [Tossici-Bolt] was in breach of [the PSPO] on several grounds. He considered her pro-life views, his own previous interaction with her, the complaint that had been received and the sign that she was holding.”

In mitigation, counsel for Dr Tossici-Bolt stressed that “The council has not adduced any evidence that she was observed by any service user or any other form of harm…neither is there an identified victim in this case.”

Following the conviction, the Judge sentenced Dr Tossici-Bolt to a conditional discharge and ordered her to pay prosecution costs of £20,000 which must be paid in full by 31 May 2025.

Earlier this week, a US State Department bureau said it was “monitoring” Dr Tossici-Bolt’s case, which is supported by ADF International, and that it was “concerned about freedom of expression in the United Kingdom”.

Reacting to the verdict, Dr Tossici-Bolt said:

“This is a dark day for Great Britain. I was not protesting and did not harass or obstruct anyone. All I did was offer consensual conversation in a public place, as is my basic right, and yet the court found me guilty. Freedom of expression is in a state of crisis in the UK. What has happened to this country? The US State Department was right to be concerned by this case as it has serious implications for the entire Western world."

- Livia Tossici-Bolt

“I remain committed to fighting for free speech, not only for my own sake but for all my fellow citizens. If we allow this precedent of censorship to stand, nobody’s right to freely express themselves is secure. With ADF International’s support, I will now consider all legal options,” she continued.

Legal Counsel for ADF International Lorcán Price commented:

“Everyone who cares about free speech should care about ‘buffer zones’. A Christian woman has been convicted merely for offering to chat on a public street in Britain. This ruling should show all reasonable people that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, abortion facility ‘buffer zones’ are incompatible with a free society.

“We will now support Livia in considering all legal options.”

Dr Tossici-Bolt was issued a fixed penalty notice for holding a sign that said “Here to talk, if you want” in a censorial abortion facility “buffer zone” in Bournemouth.

She was then prosecuted after she declined to pay it on the grounds that she did not breach the terms of the Public Spaces Protection Order—which bans acts of approval and disapproval regarding abortion—and had the right, protected under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act, to offer consensual conversations. 

The District Judge who gave today’s verdict is the same judge who last October found Adam Smith-Connor guilty for silently praying in a “buffer zone”, in a case which US Vice President JD Vance directly highlighted in his Munich Security Conference speech

With ADF International’s support, Mr Smith-Connor will appeal his conviction in a July trial.

For more details on Dr Tossici-Bolt’s case, find her support page here.

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