80 Year Old Christian Man WINS Landmark Free Speech Case After UK Police Tried to Silence Him
High Court overturns conviction of 80 year old Christian who emailed abortion images to police, ruling it would violate his freedom of expression and religion.
Christian Pro Life Campaigner Wins High Court Battle After Conviction for Emailing Abortion Images to Police Overturned
An 80 year old Christian pro life activist has had his criminal conviction overturned by the High Court in a landmark ruling on free speech and religious liberty in the United Kingdom.
David Skinner, a long standing Christian campaigner, was convicted under communications legislation after sending an email in April 2023 to senior police officers and local councillors in Dorset. The email contained graphic images of aborted foetuses alongside Holocaust imagery, as well as strongly worded objections to an abortion clinic buffer zone that had been established in Bournemouth the previous year.
The Crown Prosecution Service charged Skinner with sending "grossly offensive" material intended to cause distress. He was convicted and fined £3,840.
However, Mr Justice Saini has now ruled that while the offence was technically made out under domestic law, maintaining the conviction would amount to a disproportionate interference with Skinner's rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion under the European Convention on Human Rights.
This is a case about freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
The judge stated in his ruling, noting that the case raised fundamental constitutional issues under Articles 9 and 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The judgment was handed down in Bournemouth, bringing to an end criminal proceedings that had lasted nearly three years.
In a statement following the ruling, Skinner expressed gratitude for the decision.
My intention was not to cause distress but to raise matters of profound moral and public importance.
David Skinner said in response to the High Court's decision.
UK High Court Rules Criminal Law Cannot Silence Christian Free Speech on Abortion
The case was supported by the Christian Legal Centre, which hailed the ruling as a vital precedent for protecting religious and political speech in Britain.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said the ruling confirmed the importance of free expression on matters of public interest.
The High Court has confirmed that even where speech is confronting or deeply uncomfortable, the criminal law cannot be used as a shortcut to silence lawful expression on matters of public interest.
Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, stated.
The ruling comes at a time when free speech protections for Christians in the UK are under increasing scrutiny, with multiple cases involving prayer near abortion clinics and social media posts about matters of faith reaching the courts.
The Crusader's Opinion
Let us be completely clear about what happened here. An 80 year old Christian man wrote an email to the police expressing his moral outrage at the killing of unborn children, and the British state tried to turn him into a criminal for it. Three years of his life consumed by prosecution for the crime of speaking truth to those in authority.
Thank God the High Court saw reason, but the fact that this case ever reached a courtroom tells you everything you need to know about the spiritual condition of modern Britain. A nation that criminalises a pensioner for opposing abortion while allowing the slaughter of the unborn to continue unquestioned has lost its moral compass entirely. The buffer zones are not about protecting women. They are about silencing Christians. Every believer in Britain should take note: your right to speak biblical truth is hanging by a thread.
Take Action
- Support the Christian Legal Centre's work defending religious freedom in the UK: christianconcern.com
- Share this ruling on social media to raise awareness that Christians can and must speak on matters of moral importance without fear of prosecution
- Write to your MP or local councillor expressing support for free speech protections for people of faith in the UK
- Pray for David Skinner and his family after three years of legal battles, and for other Christians facing prosecution for their beliefs
- Support the work of the Centre for Bio Ethical Reform UK who are fighting for the right to show the reality of abortion: cbruk.org
- Support Christian ministries standing for truth at www.TheShepherdsShield.org
