Scottish Court Dismisses First Buffer Zone Prosecution

A Scottish court has dismissed charges against 75-year-old Rose Docherty, the first person prosecuted under the country's Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act for holding a sign near an abortion facility.

Sheriff Stuart Reid at Glasgow Sheriff Court ruled this week that prosecutors failed to establish an offence under Scottish law, dismissing two charges against Docherty pro loco et tempore, a procedural step that allows the case to be revived if new evidence emerges. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) noted the decision and said it would consider it carefully.

Docherty was arrested in September 2025 outside the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow while holding a placard reading, "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want." Her legal team, supported by ADF International, argued the action did not influence anyone accessing, providing or facilitating abortion services, a key element required for an offence under the law. They also contended it violated her Article 10 right to freedom of expression under the European Convention on Human Rights. Prosecutors conceded during an April hearing that they lacked evidence of such...