Elderly grandmother first person to be arrested under Scottish buffer zones law
A 74-year-old grandmother has become the first person to be arrested and charged under Scotland’s buffer zones law, implemented in September 2024.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) has slammed MSP Gillian Mackay’s “intimidatory” language that told Scots that they will also face “consequences” if they breach her buffer zones law.
The woman, reportedly a grandmother named Rose Docherty, was told at the scene by police officers on Wednesday (19 February) that she was suspected of engaging in a “silent vigil” within a buffer zone around Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow.
The pensioner was holding a sign that read, “Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want.”
Several police officers were on the scene as the elderly woman was subsequently charged, handcuffed and driven away in a police car. The arrest was also captured on camera.
Commenting on the arrest, the creator of the Scottish buffer zones law, Gillian Mackay, said she was “grateful to Police Scotland for acting so quickly… This kind of intimidation has no place in a modern or progressive Scotland.”
The MSP also warned other Scots “to think again, as they will be stopped and there will be consequences”.
“Not a good look for Scotland”, says SPUC
Daniel Frampton, SPUC’s Editorial Officer, said: “It is Police Scotland, at the behest of Gillian Mackay’s intolerant buffer zones law, which is engaging in intimidating acts; in this instance against a 74-year-old woman.
“Mackay’s disgraceful rhetoric – telling fellow citizens to ‘think again’ or face ‘consequences’ – is not a good look for Scotland. Her buffer zones law appears far more intimidating than an elderly grandmother holding a sign offering help.
“The shocking scenes yesterday also prove JD Vance’s speech last week to be correct, when he warned that free speech across Europe ‘is in retreat’. Vice-President Vance cited the specific case of Adam Smith-Connor who was arrested for praying silently for his dead son near an abortion facility in England.
“Free speech and the right to religious expression are under constant attack across the UK, and the targeting of pro-life Christians by the state is also on the rise. Thankfully, people on both sides of the Atlantic are beginning to wake up to the illiberalism and censorious instincts of politicians like Mackay.”
Buffer zones in full effect across the UK
The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act came into force in Scotland last year. Buffer zones of 200m prohibit all pro-life activity around abortion facilities, including hospitals. People in breach of the law may be fined £10,000 or more, depending on the specific case.
A similar law, imposing buffer zones of 150m, is also in effect in England and Wales, and up to 150m in Northern Ireland.
Several pro-life Christians have been arrested for praying silently or holding up Bible verses inside buffer zones. Army veteran Adam Smith-Connor, whose case was mentioned by Vance last week, was found guilty of silent prayer in England; he is set to appeal the verdict in July.
Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was also targeted again by police for her “mere presence” near an abortion facility after two “wrongful” arrests.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) guidance issued last year states that silent prayer is “not necessarily” criminal according to buffer zones legislation, though actions inside buffer zones in England and Wales that “influence” a woman in the context of abortion are.
