A 78-year-old retired Baptist pastor in Northern Ireland has been convicted of breaching Northern Ireland’s Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act after holding an open-air church service near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.

District Judge Peter King found Clive Johnston guilty on May 7 at Coleraine Magistrates Court, imposing a fine of £450 ($614). The prosecution centers on Johnston’s Sunday morning service within the protected zone surrounding the hospital where abortion services are performed.

Under Northern Ireland’s law, it is illegal to influence, prevent or impede access, or cause harassment, alarm, or distress to a “protected person” within 100 meters of facilities providing abortions. Johnston was convicted of “influencing” in the protected zone.

Johnston, who previously served as President of the Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland and is a grandfather of seven, stated his sermon referenced only John 3:16—the verse about God’s love for the world—without any mention of abortion. He described the case as “a first-of-its-kind prosecution with chilling implications.”

The Christian Institute, which has supported Johnston, emphasized he used no banners or placards during the service and made no reference to abortion. They noted this marks the first instance under the buffer-zone law where an open-air church service was prosecuted without explicit abortion discussion.

Following the ruling, Johnston called it “a dark day for Christian freedom” and expressed deep sadness at being convicted for preaching the Gospel. He warned that the decision redefines peaceful religious expression 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 also posed the question: “How can any public expression of Christian belief be safe if John 3:16 can be criminalized because of where it is spoken?”

The case highlights Northern Ireland’s buffer-zone legislation, which does not require a connection to abortion debates. A man preaching about God’s love on a Sunday morning can be convicted simply for standing within the protected zone. The U.S. State Department previously indicated monitoring such cases and other censorship-related developments in Europe.