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

U.S. State Department Applauds Scotland’s Decision to Drop Case Against Pro-Life Grandmother Rose Docherty
  • 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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