A letter asking the Prime Minister to act to protect freedom of thought and silent prayer has been signed nearly 60,000 times.

The letter was launched by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF UK) which is supporting army veteran Adam Smith-Connor who was convicted last week of praying silently within an abortion clinic buffer zone in Bournemouth. He was ordered to pay £9,000 in costs.

The letter reads, "Freedom of thought is our most basic and precious of rights - and has long been recognised in British law and every major human rights document from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights onwards."

It says it would be "a deeply worrying move" if silent prayer is named as a criminal offence in government guidance, as Sir Keir has indicated.

"Silent prayer is not a crime, and the state has no authority to censor our thoughts," the letter continues.

Smith-Connor's legal team at ADF are now considering whether to appeal the conviction.

A petition started by ADF says, "This case has set a dangerous precedent in the UK: silent thoughts and personal reflections can now be criminalised."

It continues, "Adam prayed silently and with his back to the facility.

"In fact, if Adam had been praying about climate change or anything else, there would be no upcoming court date.

"It wasn't his actions that were unlawful but the contents of his thoughts, deemed as 'express[ing] disapproval' of abortion."

The petition highlights cases brought against other individuals for praying in abortion clinic buffer zones, like Isabel Vaughan-Spruce who was eventually found not guilty and received an apology from West Midlands Police after a six-month investigation. In August, she received £13,000 in compensation after the local authorities after they acknowledged that her fundamental rights had been breached.

Smith-Connor's conviction has increased concerns about the implications of 'safe access zones' which are to be rolled out around abortion facilities across England and Wales from October 31.

Under the new rules, it will be a crime to "influence" a person's "decision to access abortion services" within 150m of an abortion facility. Breaching the buffer zones risks an unlimited fine.

ADF UK said that the UK "is becoming an international embarrassment due to these cases".

"How can we, as a nation, champion human rights across the world and yet be the first Western country to criminalise thought and prayer?" the petition concludes.