Retired Pastor Fined for Breaching Abortion Buffer Zone Laws
A retired pastor has been fined £450 after being found guilty of violating abortion buffer zone regulations by preaching biblical verses near a hospital.
Clive Johnston, 77, from Strabane, County Tyrone, conducted an open-air service within a safe access zone near Causeway Hospital on 7 July 2024.
The former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland appeared at Coleraine Magistrates' Court on Thursday, where the judgement was issued.
Johnston was convicted of performing an act in a safe access zone with the intent, or recklessness as to whether it influenced a protected person attending the premises.
Additionally, he was found guilty of failing to comply with a direction to leave the safe access zone.
The court was informed that at least one protected person was present at the hospital on that day.
Judge Peter King stated that Johnston had "tested the law to the point where he broke the law."
The £450 fine covered both offences.
'Strong religious belief and good character'
The judge described Johnston as "a man of strong religious belief and good character."
"He is someone who in the past has been publicly associated with anti-abortion views,"
the judge added.
At Coleraine Magistrates' Court, it was revealed that Johnston delivered a sermon during the event without mentioning abortion. His decision to preach was motivated by two reasons: to test the legislation and to influence those who heard him towards the Bible and the Christian message generally.
The judge noted that Johnston deliberately positioned himself within a safe access zone, fully aware of the risk of breaching the law and without verifying whether abortion services were being provided that Sunday.
The court was told that at least one protected person was accessing therapeutic aftercare as part of the Northern Trust's abortion service on the day.
Judge King declined to refer the case to the court of appeal.
