Man fined for standing silently outside UK abortion clinic, officers couldn't tell him his crime

Sebastian Vaughan-Spruce, a 44-year-old landscape gardener and pro-life activist, was fined on May 16 in Birmingham, England over suspicion of his silent thoughts in violation of the "buffer zone" regulations enforced by local authorities, according to a video and press release provided to Fox News Digital by March for Life UK.

He carried no sign and remained completely silent until approached by officers, in which he clarified he was not praying silently in his head.

Police officers asked Vaughan-Spruce if he was "praying for the lives of unborn children" when he was found standing on a public street near the abortion facility in Kings Norton, Birmingham. When he asked officers what his alleged crime was, they asked him to move elsewhere.

Vaughn-Spruce said in a statement that it was "abhorrently wrong" that he was interrogated and issued a penalty for being pro-life and standing on a certain public street.

"Others were present there at the same time, yet I was singled out because of the beliefs I happen to hold," he said.

The so-called "buffer zones" are part of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) implemented by Birmingham authorities, which criminalizes individuals perceived to be "engaging in any act of approval or disapproval or attempted act of approval or disapproval" in relation to abortion, including through "verbal or written means, prayer or counseling," the press release states.

Even though Vaughn-Spruce explained to officers that he wasn't praying, they issued him a fixed penalty notice for being present in the so-called "buffer zone."

UK REPORT CLAIMS PROTEST CHARGED FOR HOLDING ‘PRAYING FOR FREE SPEECH' SIGN, HAVING PRO-LIFE BUMPER STICKER

March for Life UK claims the decision to fine Vaughn-Spruce