AN anti-abortion campaigner at the centre of a controversy involving the US Government has been found guilty of breaching a “buffer zone” outside a clinic.
Livia Tossici-Bolt was convicted at Poole Magistrates’ Court of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order on two days in March 2023.
She was sentenced to a conditional discharge for two years.
The case involved the 64-year-old from Bournemouth, who was supported in court by anti-abortion charity ADF International, holding a sign saying “Here to talk, if you want” inside a buffer zone.
We previously revealed how ADF International received more than £1 million in funding from its American parent company, which appears to be investing significantly in the branch.
Her case was highlighted by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour (DRL), part of the US Department of State, which posted a statement on Twitter/X saying: “We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.”
District Judge Orla Austin told the court of the defendant: “She lacks insight that her presence could have a detrimental effect on the women attending the clinic, their associates, staff, and members of the public.”
She added: “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).”
Rosalind Comyn, defending, said: “The council hasn’t produced any evidence that Ms Tossici-Bolt was in fact either observed by any service user or any other forms of harm were caused by her behaviour.
“My point is not that breaches can never cause harm rather that there is no evidence that Ms Tossici-Bolt’s conduct did in this case.”
She added the defendant had no previous convictions.
The council welcomed Tossici-Bolt’s conviction, stating that the buffer zone enacted in 2022 was there so patients and staff “could safely access” the clinic “without fear of intimidation”.
A Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council spokesperson said: “The council introduced the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering the British Pregnancy Advisory Clinic in Ophir Rd so that all patients and staff could safely access this clinic without fear of intimidation and that all people in the locality are protected.
“We will continue to monitor any alleged breaches of this PSPO and will take appropriate action when necessary.”
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) said the case was “never about global politics” but instead women being able to “access legal healthcare free from harassment”.
Bpas’s chief executive, Heidi Stewart, said: “Bpas welcomes today’s verdict which will protect women and the staff who provide abortion care.
“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.
“It is up to the police and judicial system to determine whether individuals have broken the law. I, meanwhile, stand shoulder to shoulder with our staff who work so tirelessly to protect our patients from the impact of anti-abortion harassment outside the clinic gate.”
The DLR previously said they agreed with US vice president JD Vance's (above) comments about freedom of speech in the UK, after he claimed that the Scottish Government was criminalising people praying in their own homes.
Gillian Mackay, who brought forward Scotland's abortion buffer zone law, said this was "total nonsense and dangerous scaremongering".
The Telegraph also quoted a source “familiar with trade negotiations” between the UK and US as saying that there should be “no free trade without free speech”.
However, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said that free speech had not been part of tariff negotiations with the US.
