A woman at the centre of a freedom of speech row that has attracted the attention of US vice-president JD Vance has been found guilty breaching a “buffer zone” outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic. The Times has the story.
Livia Tossici-Bolt was found guilty of two public order offences for breaching a protected zone outside a British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) clinic on two consecutive days in March, 2023.
The zone was established outside the clinic in 2022 given its status as one of the most harassed abortion centres in the country.
Tossici Bolt, who had previously made a legal challenge against the safe zone order, is the the leader of a local branch of 40 Days for Life, an international campaign group that stages prayer protests outside abortion clinics. She stood outside the clinic on March 2 and 3 holding a sign saying “here to talk, if you want to”.
Officer Rukan Taki, who is employed by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council to enforce the terms of the safe zone, spoke to her after a complaint was made by the clinic.
A member of the public who spoke to Tossici-Bolt while she was standing with her sign told an enforcement officer that she was part of the “god squad” but that she had not discussed abortion or religion with them.
She told Taki that her sign was because of an epidemic of “loneliness”, adding that women “come here in a very lonely state”. When asked to leave, she refused, and also refused to pay a fixed penalty notice (FPN) issued by the council.
In a hearing at Poole magistrates’ court on Friday morning, she was found guilty of breaching the “buffer zone”.
Speaking outside the court Tossici-Bolt said: “This is a dark day for Great Britain. I was not protesting and did not harass or obstruct anyone. All I did was offer consensual conversation in a public place, as is my basic right, and yet the court found me guilty.
“Freedom of expression is in a state of crisis in the UK. What has happened to this country? The US State Department was right to be concerned by this case as it has serious implications for the entire Western world.”
In her judgment on Friday, Orla Austin, the district judge, said: “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 that the officers who asked Tossici-Bolt to leave had a reasonable belief that she was in breach of the order, and they were therefore justified in asking her to do so. Tossici-Bolt’s refusal was therefore a breach of the safe zone order.
“She could have chosen a different location to display her sign, especially since – as she says – loneliness is everywhere,” she said.
Austin went on: “I find that her conviction would not be disproportionate. I note that her precise location is important to the defendant; she could have chosen another location to display her signage … it was open to her to move to another location.”
Austin noted that in her evidence, Tossici-Bolt had said that Taki could have told the person who complained about her behaviour “that they were wrong, and they could not have been distressed”.
“I find she lacks insight that her behaviour could have a detrimental effect on people using the clinic,” she added.
Tossici-Bolt was given a conditional discharge, but ordered to pay a £20,000 contribution towards the prosecution’s costs. The council, which brought the prosecution, has spent an estimated £64,000 dealing with her case.
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