A 78-year-old retired Baptist pastor in Northern Ireland now carries a criminal record after being convicted of preaching the Christian gospel near an abortion facility, authorities announced Monday.
District Judge Peter King found Clive Johnston guilty of breaching Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act at Coleraine Magistrates Court on May 7. The conviction followed Johnston’s open-air church service held within 100 meters of Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, where abortion services are provided.
Johnston, a former President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland and grandfather to seven children, was fined £450 ($614) for “influencing” inside the protected zone. The law prohibits influencing, preventing or impeding access, or causing harassment, alarm, or distress to individuals within 100 meters of abortion facilities.
Johnston told reporters after the ruling that this marked a “first-of-its-kind prosecution with chilling implications.” He emphasized his sermon referenced only John 3:16—the verse about God’s love and eternal life—and made no mention of abortion during the service.
The Christian Institute, which supported Johnston legally, described the case as unprecedented for preaching without abortion references under the buffer-zone law. Johnston called the conviction a “dark day for Christian freedom” and stated he was “deeply saddened” by the verdict. He warned that the ruling redefines peaceful Christian witness as unlawful influence: “If reading the Bible, praying, and preaching on God’s love can be considered harmful because someone might overhear it in a certain area, then a serious line has been crossed.”
Johnston added: “How can any public expression of Christian belief be safe if John 3:16 can be criminalized because of where it is spoken?” He stressed the conviction reflects an alarming shift in fundamental freedoms.
The judge determined Johnston’s actions violated Northern Ireland’s Safe Access Zones legislation, which applies broadly without requiring direct abortion debate references. Johnston, now a convicted felon at age 78, described the outcome as “the first time in my life” he has faced criminal charges for religious expression.