{"id":21141,"date":"2023-11-16T17:21:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-16T17:21:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adf.uk\/?p=12594"},"modified":"2024-05-15T09:22:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T08:22:10","slug":"hearing-postponed-for-army-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/court-postponed","title":{"rendered":"Disappointment for Army Veteran as hearing postponed in \u201cthoughtcrime\u201d prosecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"21141\" class=\"elementor elementor-21141\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4276d437 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4276d437\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-326c1996\" data-id=\"326c1996\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5dff5f30 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5dff5f30\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Judge postpones; citing complexities of Adam Smith-Connor\u2019s silent prayer prosecution&nbsp;<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">New trial date set for January 18-19<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><span data-fontsize=\"14\">th<\/span><\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> 2024<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ADF UK supporting Smith-Connor\u2019s defence <\/span><\/b><\/li>\n<p><br><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">DORSET (16<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">TH<\/span><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> November 2023) \u2013 <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Poole Magistrates\u2019 Court has postponed today\u2019s hearing in the case of Adam Smith-Connor, the army veteran criminally charged for praying silently for a few minutes in a Bournemouth&nbsp; abortion facility \u201cbuffer zone\u201d.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The hearing scheduled for today will now take place on 18<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> January, immediately before the criminal trial.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Members of the public are invited to&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/adf.uk\/support-adam\/\">support to Smith-Connor\u2019s legal defense here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">At today\u2019s hearing, the defence, supported by ADF UK, planned to ask the court to dismiss the prosecution on the basis of unfairness. Adam had been assured by police officers that praying silently in that location was legal, only a week before he was charged for doing so. The defence also would have raised concerns about the council\u2019s prosecutorial independence, noting in particular that the initial decision not to prosecute Adam was reversed only after pressure from the relevant abortion provider.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt\u2019s disappointing that this abuse of fundamental freedoms has been allowed to drag on, with today\u2019s hearing now postponed to January. While the judge referred to the complexities of the case as the reason for postponing, we must remember that the facts of Adam\u2019s case are really very simple\u2014he is being criminally charged for his silent prayer. It is most unfortunate that this lengthy and grueling process is continuing to impact Adam\u2019s life, for only having prayed in his head.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Despite this setback, we remain committed to supporting Adam\u2019s legal defence and his basic human rights, including the right to think freely on a public street without interference from authorities, at the new trial date.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is deeply concerning for local councils to have the power to prosecute residents for alleged \u2018thoughtcrimes\u2019 in a free society,\u201d <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bournemouth, <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Christchurch and Poole Council has so far run up legal fees &#8211; charged to the public purse &#8211; in excess of \u00a325k to prosecute an offence carrying a maximum fine of \u00a31k.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">This comes despite a recent warning from the Council in August that, \u201ctough budget decisions are needed\u201d in order to avoid bankruptcy, with council chief executive Graham Farrant <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.localgov.co.uk\/BCP-Council-in-bankruptcy-warning\/57737\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">pointing<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> to a \u00a345m gap in its \u00a3300m annual budget alongside depleted reserves.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201c<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">I\u2019m disappointed that the court postponed my hearing today, and I will have to wait over Christmas to make clear in court that I have committed no crime by way of my silent prayer. I still can&#8217;t believe that in England in 2023, I have to face criminal prosecution for what I thought in my own mind.<\/span><\/i> <i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Even if freedom prevails eventually, this process, now drawn out even further, has been punishing. I served in the army reserves for twenty years, including in Afghanistan, to protect fundamental <\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">freedoms \u2013 I never thought I\u2019d have to defend such a basic right for myself here at home.<\/span><\/i><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nevertheless, I thank the friends, fellow veterans, community residents and Christians who came out to the court to support me this morning, and those around the world who have been praying and contributing financially to my defence via my crowdfunder. With support from the team at ADF UK, I\u2019ll be preparing for trial in January, where I hope the verdict makes clear that thought is not a criminal offence,\u201d <\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">said Adam Smith-Connor, upon receiving the news.&nbsp;<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;It is deeply concerning for local councils to have the power to prosecute residents for alleged \u2018thoughtcrimes\u2019 in a free society,\u201d said Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":22340,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[942,899,898],"class_list":["post-21141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adam","tag-free-speech-en-gb","tag-uk-en-gb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Disappointment for Army Veteran as hearing postponed in \u201cthoughtcrime\u201d prosecution - ADF International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Judge postpones; 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