Woman, 64, found guilty of breaching abortion clinic buffer zone

A 64-year-old woman has been sentenced to a conditional discharge for two years for breaching a “buffer zone” outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic.

Livia Tossici-Bolt was convicted at Poole Magistrates’ Court of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order on two days in March 2023. District Judge Orla Austin also ordered Tossici-Bolt to pay £20,000 towards court costs and a £26 victim surcharge.

Tossici-Bolt, from Bournemouth, held a sign saying: “Here to talk, if you want.”

The judge 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].”

The judge explained that the conditional discharge meant Tossici-Bolt could be re-sentenced if she committed a further offence in the next two years.

The case is at the centre of a free speech controversy involving the US government.

It was highlighted by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, a bureau within the US Department of State, which posted a statement on X saying: “We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.”

Tossici-Bolt, a retired medical scientist, said after the hearing: “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.

“I remain committed to fighting for free speech, not only for my own sake, but for all my fellow citizens. If we allow this precedent of censorship to stand, nobody’s right to freely express themselves is secure.”

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 that Tossici-Bolt had no previous convictions.

Downing Street said it was vital that women using abortion services can do so “without being subject to harassment or distress” and the right to protest does not “give people the right to harass others”.

Asked whether there is a problem with free speech in the UK, the No 10 spokesperson said Britain has “a very proud tradition of free speech over many centuries, and we remain proud of it today”.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council welcomed the 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 spokesperson added: “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 it welcomed the verdict which “will protect women and the staff who provide abortion care”.

BPAS’s chief executive 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.”