A woman has entered fresh not guilty pleas at Birmingham Magistrates' Court after being accused of silently praying outside an abortion clinic. Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, 49, from Malvern, Worcestershire, denied five charges on Wednesday.
Prosecutors successfully argued that there should be individual offences for five separate alleged breaches of the Public Order Act. These relate to a zone around a clinic in the Kings Norton area of Birmingham.
Ms Vaughan-Spruce was the first person in England and Wales to be charged under new "buffer zone" legislation, which came into force in October 2024. The alleged offending is said to have occurred on five different days over a six-month period from 13 June 2025 to November.
She is accused of intending to or being reckless to interfere with any person's decision to access, provide or facilitate abortion services. The new law aims to prevent anyone from influencing a person's decision regarding abortion services, and also prevents causing distress or alarm within 150m (492ft) of abortion facilities.