Prosecution for prayer in public collapses
Blunders lead CPS to drop case against abortion campaigner protesting outside Marie Stopes clinic
Britain’s first arrest and prosecution for praying in public has collapsed after a botched investigation. Christian Hacking, 29, was arrested after he was seen praying outside an abortion clinic in London earlier this year. Mr Hacking, who uses a wheelchair, was carried into a van by police officers after allegedly failing to comply with a Public Spaces Protection Order outside a Marie Stopes clinic in Ealing, west London. He had been due to face trial next week but now faces no charges.
BRITAIN’S first arrest and prosecution for praying in public has collapsed following a bungling police investigation.
Christian Hacking, 29, was arrested by police after he was seen praying outside an abortion clinic in London earlier this year.
Mr Hacking, who uses a wheelchair after breaking his back during a climbing accident, was arrested and carried into a van by police officers after allegedly failing to comply with a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) outside a Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Ealing, west London.
The international charity, which supports women to have safe abortions, has criticised his “wilful noncompliance with the PSPO” and said that “nobody should face harassment” when accessing its services. However. the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), that represented Mr Hacking, said that police bodycam footage of officers “carrying a disabled man and his wheelchair to a riot van, simply for praying, is deeply disturbing”. It also criticised the waste of “vital police resources” after charges against him were dropped.
The PSPO, put in place by Ealing council in April 2018, was the first buffer zone surrounding an abortion clinic to be introduced in the UK. The exclusion zone, upheld by the Court of Appeal, bans a range of activities within 100 metres (330ft) of the clinic, including outlawing prayer.
The PSPO states: “[People must not engage] in any act of approval/ disapproval or 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.’
Mr Hacking was arrested on Aug 8 and pleaded not guilty to the charge of failing to comply with the PSPO. This marked the first case in modern times of arrest and prosecution for praying and he was set to stand trial on Nov 5 at Uxbridge magistrates’ court. However, the case collapsed. Although police warned Mr Hacking, who works part-time for CBR UK (Center for Bio-ethical Reform), an American anti-abortion organisation, they failed to caution him when they intended to arrest him. Instead, officers only cautioned Mr Hacking when he was already in the police van.
The Crown Prosecution Service sent him a letter stating that the charges were being dropped because there was not “enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction”.
A Marie Stopes UK spokesman said: “Nobody should face harassment when accessing a legal, confidential health service, and the safe zone around the Marie Stopes west London clinic rightly prohibits a range of activities within 100 metres, including prayer.
“It is disappointing to see wilful non-compliance with the PSPO fail to result in prosecution. However, the Ealing safe zone remains a vital measure to ensure anyone accessing abortion services has consistent and necessary protection from intimidation and harassment, and we continue to call for similar protections to be introduced across the UK.”