A court date has been set for a pro-life volunteer who was arrested and charged after praying silently inside an abortion clinic buffer zone in Birmingham. 

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was charged in December with "protesting and engaging in an act that is intimidating to service users", in breach of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in place outside the clinic.

The PSPO bans pro-life activities including prayer and offers of help to women about alternatives to abortion within a 150m radius of the clinic.

ADF UK, which is defending Ms Vaughan-Spruce, says she has been left in legal limbo after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the charges due to "insufficient evidence", while informing her that they may be reinstated again. 

She is seeking legal clarity at the hearing at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 16 February. If the court deems her to be guilty of the charges, she will be left with a criminal record.

Commenting on her case, Ms Vaughan-Spruce said, "I am pleased to have a court date set, and to have an end in sight to this whole ordeal.

"It is still unfathomable that all of this has ensued from the simple act of praying in silence on the public streets of Britain.

"I hope for a 'not guilty' verdict, not only clearing my name, but also clarifying that silent prayer is not a crime." 

Jeremiah Igunnubole, her legal counsel at ADF UK, said, "It is crucial that the Court issue a clear legal verdict in the case of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.

"As our Parliament continues to debate the national rollout of censorship zones across England and Wales, it is imperative that we receive legal clarity given even the police and prosecution services can't agree on what is and is not a crime.

"The reality is that every person should have their freedom to think and pray respected without running the risk of prosecution under vaguely worded and entirely disproportionate censorship zones."