{"id":64034,"date":"2024-10-31T09:49:36","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T08:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=64034"},"modified":"2025-08-05T09:13:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T07:13:28","slug":"army-veteran-confirms-appeal-as-crown-prosecution-service-concede-silent-prayer-not-necessarily-an-offence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal","title":{"rendered":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"64034\" class=\"elementor elementor-64034\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-dbb3d60 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"dbb3d60\" 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-4688bfa\" data-id=\"4688bfa\" 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-c5c116b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c5c116b\" 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<ul><li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li><b style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">CPS guidance on prosecuting \u201cbuffer zone\u201d breaches requires evidence of \u201covert\u201d activity\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-weight ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li><b style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cBuffer zones\u201d enacted TODAY around every abortion facility in England &amp; Wales<\/span><\/b><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-size ); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-weight ); letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c039268 elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-featured-image elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"c039268\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-featured-image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-38310\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ba9c977 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ba9c977\" 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<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">LONDON (31 October 2024) &#8211;<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> As the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unveils guidance clarifying that silent prayer is \u201cnot necessarily\u201d a crime in an abortion \u201cbuffer zone\u201d, the army veteran found \u201cguilty\u201d for praying silently near an abortion facility has announced today that he will pursue an appeal against his conviction, with support from ADF UK.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The guidance comes on the same day as the national rollout of a new \u201cbuffer zones\u201d law \u2013 making it a crime to \u201c<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">influence a person\u2019s decision to access&#8230;abortion services<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201d within 150m of an abortion facility in England and Wales.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">On 16th October, Bournemouth Magistrates&#8217; Court convicted and sentenced Smith-Connor to a conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of \u00a39,000.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In its decision, the court emphasised Adam\u2019s known beliefs on abortion. The judge also noted that people may have perceived that Adam was praying because at one point his head may have been slightly bowed and his hands were clasped at his waist in an \u201cat ease\u201d posture.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-font-family ), Sans-serif; letter-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-letter-spacing ); word-spacing: var( --e-global-typography-5916e0c-word-spacing );\">The defence contend that Smith-Connor was not &#8220;overt&#8221; in his actions, as required by CPS guidance on prosecuting buffer zone breaches. His eyes were open and he stood in a &#8220;normal&#8221; standing position, in a public green across the road from the clinic, with his back to the entrance.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ed1aef elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ed1aef\" 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<p><b>WATCH BELOW: Officers interrogate Adam as to the &#8220;nature of his prayers&#8221;:<\/b><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-84cdf53 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"84cdf53\" 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-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-fa53f7f\" data-id=\"fa53f7f\" 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-9462e9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9462e9d\" 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<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\">Bournemouth, Christchurch &amp; Poole Council charged and prosecuted Adam Smith-Connor for breaking <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW122148279 BCX0\">local<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW122148279 BCX0\">ly-enforced<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\"> \u201cbuffer zone\u201d rules, following an interrogation by officers on \u201cthe nature of his prayers\u201d when he stopped to pray <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\">silently <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\">for a few minutes near an abortion facility in November 2022<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW122148279 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW122148279 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/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<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-bc7673a\" data-id=\"bc7673a\" 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-d5c25bf elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"d5c25bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=hjUphe7mktE&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-container brlbs-cmpnt-content-blocker brlbs-cmpnt-with-individual-styles\" data-borlabs-cookie-content-blocker-id=\"youtube-content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-content=\"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\"><div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-preset-c brlbs-cmpnt-cb-youtube\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-thumbnail\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/borlabs-cookie\/1\/yt_hjUphe7mktE_hqdefault.jpg')\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-main\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-play-button\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-content\"> <p class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-description\">You are currently viewing a placeholder content from <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">More Information<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Unblock content<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Accept required service and unblock content<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\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 class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-013454f elementor-blockquote--skin-border elementor-widget elementor-widget-blockquote\" data-id=\"013454f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"blockquote.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<blockquote class=\"elementor-blockquote\">\n\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-blockquote__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"color: #AF272F\">The government simply cannot be allowed to determine<\/span> the content of thoughts and prayers.\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-q-footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<cite class=\"elementor-blockquote__author\">- Adam Smith-Connor, convicted for praying silently in a \"buffer zone\"<\/cite>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c663e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9c663e4\" 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<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The ruling, issued on 16<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> October 2024, marked the first time in modern British history that a citizen has been criminalised on the basis of his thoughts.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Speaking about his decision to pursue an\u202fappeal, Adam Smith-Connor said:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cSurely a silent thought cannot be a crime. With support from ADF UK, I\u2019m pursuing an appeal against my conviction. The government simply cannot be allowed to determine the content of thoughts and prayers.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cI served for 20 years in the army reserves, including a tour in Afghanistan, to protect the fundamental freedoms that this country is built upon. I continue that spirit of service as a health care professional and church volunteer. It troubles me greatly to see our freedoms eroded to the extent that thoughtcrimes are now being prosecuted in the UK.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84d2163 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"84d2163\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Public funding spent on prosecuting prayers <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0e6bb4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0e6bb4c\" 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<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Controversially, Bournemouth, Christchurch &amp; Poole Council spent over \u00a3100,000 of public funds prosecuting Smith-Connor for his silent thoughts, for a charge with a maximum penalty of \u00a31,000. This expense \u2013 including instructing a King\u2019s Counsel \u2013 comes despite the Council being on the brink of bankruptcy for the past year.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Commenting on the trial and the use of public funds ahead of the verdict, politician Miriam Cates said:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t 1984, but 2024 \u2013 nobody should be on trial for the mere thoughts they hold in their mind. It\u2019s outrageous that the local council are pouring taxpayer funding into prosecuting a thoughtcrime, at a time where resources are stretched thin. Buffer zone regulation are disproportionately wide, leaving innocent people vulnerable to prosecution merely for offering help, or simply holding their own beliefs.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Buffer zones installed nationwide<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, the UK government have enforced \u201cbuffer zones\u201d around every abortion facility in England and Wales \u2013 banning \u201cinfluencing\u201d someone\u2019s decision to access abortion services within 150m of the building.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ADF UK has warned that the vague wording of the legislation could lead to more prosecutions over thoughts, or consensual conversations between adults.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In March 2023, Parliament voted down an amendment to explicitly protect silent prayer, leaving the wording of the law vague as to which activities might be construed as \u201cinfluencing\u201d. Today\u2019s guidance from CPS confirms former Home Secretary Suella Braverman\u2019s views that \u201csilent prayer, <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">within itself, is not unlawful.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Speaking about the new law and accompanying CPS Guidance, enforced under the Public Order Act 2023, ADF UK Legal Counsel Jeremiah Igunnubole said:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cWe are glad that the CPS has confirmed that silent prayer is not necessarily a criminal offence and that there must be evidence of overt activity. This is commonsense and consistent with the absolute right to freedom of thought protected under domestic and international law. Previous Home Secretaries and the magistrates\u2019 court have repeatedly concluded that silent prayer, within itself, cannot constitute a criminal offence. Now that CPS guidance has recognized the same, it is incumbent on police officers and local authorities to refrain from ideological and discriminatory interpretations which seek to criminalise prayer itself rather than overt conduct amounting to harassment and intimidation.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u201cIt\u2019s for this reason that we are glad to support Adam as he pursues an appeal of his conviction for praying silently without engaging anyone or being obtrusive in any way. This is a watershed moment for British freedoms, and one the public must not take lightly. A failure to protect thought and peaceful conduct anywhere creates a threat to these rights everywhere. Buffer zones or otherwise, we should uncompromisingly safeguard the rights on which our democracy is based.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6f3b44c elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6f3b44c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0bef0ef elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0bef0ef\" 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<p>Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only<\/p><p>Pictured: Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF UK; Adam Smith-Connor<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cf246b5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-gallery\" data-id=\"cf246b5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;aspect_ratio&quot;:&quot;1:1&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;gallery_layout&quot;:&quot;grid&quot;,&quot;columns&quot;:4,&quot;columns_tablet&quot;:2,&quot;columns_mobile&quot;:1,&quot;gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;link_to&quot;:&quot;file&quot;,&quot;overlay_background&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;content_hover_animation&quot;:&quot;fade-in&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery__container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"cf246b5\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDM2ODgsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyMVwvMDVcL0plcmVtaWFoX0lndW5udWJvbGVfNDAweDQwMHB4LndlYnAiLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiJjZjI0NmI1In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Jeremiah_Igunnubole_400x400px.webp\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"Jeremiah Igunnubole of ADF UK\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam_hero-2.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"cf246b5\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Adam Hero 2\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NjMyMDksInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDFcL2FkYW1faGVyby0yLndlYnAiLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiJjZjI0NmI1In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam_hero-2-1024x682.webp\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"682\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"cf246b5\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Adam Scaled 1.jpg\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6MzgzMTAsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDFcL2FkYW0tc2NhbGVkLTEuanBnIiwic2xpZGVzaG93IjoiY2YyNDZiNSJ9\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"683\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/adam_praying_hero.webp\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"cf246b5\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"adam_praying_hero.webp\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NjMwMTksInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMTBcL2FkYW1fcHJheWluZ19oZXJvLndlYnAiLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiJjZjI0NmI1In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/adam_praying_hero-1024x683.webp\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"683\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\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>With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d\u00a0 CPS guidance on prosecuting \u201cbuffer zone\u201d breaches requires evidence of \u201covert\u201d activity\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBuffer zones\u201d enacted TODAY around every abortion facility in England &amp; Wales\u00a0 LONDON (31 October 2024) &#8211; As the Crown Prosecution [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":38310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[736],"tags":[942,1069,899,1309,898],"class_list":["post-64034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-adam","tag-buffer-zones-2","tag-free-speech-en-gb","tag-jeremiah-iggunubole","tag-uk-en-gb"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 - ADF International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ADF International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"CPS Guidance on &quot;buffer zones&quot; clarifies silent prayer &quot;not necessarily&quot; an offence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\"},\"headline\":\"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\"},\"wordCount\":965,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Adam\",\"buffer zones\",\"free speech\",\"jeremiah Iggunubole\",\"UK\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\",\"name\":\"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 - ADF International\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/01\\\/adam-scaled-1.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/news\\\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"name\":\"ADF International\",\"description\":\"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"width\":175,\"height\":106,\"caption\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/adfintl\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/adfinternational\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\",\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Philipp Bues\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/en-gb\\\/author\\\/pbuesadfinternational-org\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 - ADF International","description":"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence","og_description":"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal","og_site_name":"ADF International","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","article_published_time":"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Philipp Bues","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0","twitter_description":"CPS Guidance on \"buffer zones\" clarifies silent prayer \"not necessarily\" an offence","twitter_creator":"@adfintl","twitter_site":"@adfintl","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Philipp Bues","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal"},"author":{"name":"Philipp Bues","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141"},"headline":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0","datePublished":"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal"},"wordCount":965,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg","keywords":["Adam","buffer zones","free speech","jeremiah Iggunubole","UK"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal","name":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0 - ADF International","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg","datePublished":"2024-10-31T08:49:36+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-05T07:13:28+00:00","description":"With legal support from ADF UK, Adam Smith-Connor will pursue an appeal against his conviction for praying silently in a \u201cbuffer zone\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/adam-scaled-1.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/news\/silent-prayer-case-appeal#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Army veteran confirms APPEAL as Crown Prosecution Service concede silent prayer \u201cnot necessarily\u201d an offence\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#website","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","name":"ADF International","description":"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#organization","name":"Alliance Defending Freedom International","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","width":175,"height":106,"caption":"Alliance Defending Freedom International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141","name":"Philipp Bues","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","caption":"Philipp Bues"},"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/author\/pbuesadfinternational-org"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}