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| Anti-abortion campaigner convicted of breaching buffer zone outside UK clinic | Anti-abortion campaigner convicted of breaching buffer zone outside UK clinic |
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| Livia Tossici-Bolt had gone on trial over breach in Bournemouth in 2023, in a case that drew concern from US state department | Livia Tossici-Bolt had gone on trial over breach in Bournemouth in 2023, in a case that drew concern from US state department |
| An activist whose case had been cited by the US state department over “freedom of expression” concerns in the UK has been convicted of breaching a buffer zone outside an abortion clinic. | |
| Livia Tossici-Bolt, an anti-abortion campaigner, went on trial at Poole magistrates court last month accused of breaching a public spaces protection order on two days in March 2023 near to a clinic in Bournemouth. On Friday she was found guilty of two charges of breaching the order. | |
| Tossici-Bolt was given a conditional discharge and ordered not to commit any additional offences over a two-year period. She was ordered to pay costs of £20,000 towards what the judge said had been the “considerable” resources expended by the local authority, along with £26 towards a victim surcharge fee. | |
| A delegation from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), an office within the US Department of State, met Tossici-Bolt last month during a visit to the UK, along with a US-backed anti-abortion group, which has been supporting her case. | |
| Judge Austin said it was beyond reasonable doubt that Tossici-Bolt was engaging in an act of disapproval of abortion services on the days in question. “I conclude she lacked insight that her presence could have a detrimental effect on the women presenting at the clinic, the staff and members of the public,” she said. | |
| Tossici-Bolt had stood with a sign reading “Here to talk, if you want” facing the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic, which was previously targeted by anti-abortion activists who had gathered nearby before Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council put the order in place. | |
| The court previously heard evidence from council enforcement officers who said they had asked her to leave the area on both days after they received calls from a member of the public and from staff inside the clinic. | |
| Tossici-Bolt told one of the officers that she had located herself outside the clinic “because from my experience women come here in a very lonely state”. The order prohibited protests and other direct or indirect activities that could influence users of the abortion clinic and was in place on weekdays until 7pm. She had been asked to leave the area within that period. | |
| Austin said Tossici-Bolt could have gone somewhere else given that people who were lonely could be found everywhere. “I accept her beliefs were truly held beliefs. Although it’s accepted this defendant held pro-life views, it’s important to note this case is not about the rights and wrongs about abortion but about whether the defendant was in breach of the PSPO (public spaces protection order),” she said. | |
| The verdict was welcomed by the BPAS, which said the result would protect women and the staff who provided abortion care. | |
| The chief executive of BPAS, Heidi Stewart, said: “The clinic in Bournemouth has been subjected to decades of anti-abortion protests which resulted in more than 500 reports of harassment before this local safe access zone was brought into force. | |
| “This case was never about global politics but about the simple ability of women to access legal healthcare free from harassment.” | |
| The DRL recently posted a statement on X saying: “We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.” | |
| During a discussion of costs, the hearing on Friday was told that Tossici-Bolt had significant assets and received a grant from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is registered as a charity in the UK and is backed by a conservative US organisation of the same name. | |
| Kuljit Bhogal KC, for the council, said ADF UK had an income of more than £1.3m in the year up to June 2024 and that at least one member of staff had a salary of more than £100,000, according to records filed at Companies House. Those filings were covered by the Guardian on Thursday in a report about how the ADF has been significantly expanding its operations in the UK. | |
| “We are talking about an individual having both assets and income but also ADF having considerable income,” said Bhogal, who said Tossici-Bolt had chosen to defend against the proceedings even after another person was convicted last year of breaching the same safe zone. |