Huge Bill for Mattock Lane Abortion Clinic Protestor

Stephen Green asked to pay costs after failure of appeal

Stephen Green protesting outside the clinic in Ealing. Picture: Stephen Green

January 21, 2025

A 73-year-old man, who lost his appeal against a conviction relating to a protest outside an abortion clinic in Ealing, has been ordered to pay more that £7,500 in prosecution costs to Ealing Council’s lawyers.

Stephen Green an evangelical preacher from Carmarthen, Wales, was presented with the bill following a judgement taken at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday 15 January, which dismissed his appeal against a conviction for the offence of failing to comply with a public space protection order (PSPO) around the facility on Mattock Lane.

He had stood within the zone holding up a sign with a Biblical verse, ‘For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.’ Mr Green claimed that his protest was not against the clinic or anyone using it but the restriction of freedom of speech that the zone represented.

He said, “They decided I was protesting against abortion which is illegal in a PSPO… I say that Ealing Council by their prohibited words have prohibited over 1000 verses of the King James bible.

“It’s well known that I oppose abortion… but nevertheless this was a buffer zone, in my sight. In fact, in February 2023 I went around all local authority buffer zones… Ealing, Twickenham, Bournemouth, Manchester and Birmingham protesting the buffer zone and the only council that took me to court were Ealing.”

He was first issued with a £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) in March 2023, after failing to remain in the designated area for protestors on Monday 6 February 2023.

After he failed to pay the fixed penalty notice, the case was taken to Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court, where Mr Green was handed a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £2,426 in costs.

He appealed the decision on 30 October 2024 at Isleworth Crown Court, but his case was ultimately dismissed by His Honour Judge Hammerton who ordered Green to pay the additional prosecution costs which were determined this month..

The PSPO, enacted by Ealing Council in April 2018 outside the MSI Reproductive Choices Clinic in Mattock Lane, was the first so-called buffer zone surrounding an abortion clinic to be introduced in the UK.

Councillor Jasbir Anand, the council’s cabinet member for tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, said, “We welcome the court’s decision to dismiss Mr Green’s appeal.

“The Mattock Lane Safe Zone exists to protect women from facing unreasonable interference and intimidation at the point they are accessing services for intensely personal reasons. Whilst we of course respect people’s right to protest, we also respect people’s right to privacy, and the kind of behaviour Mr Green engaged in was totally unacceptable.

“I hope this result sends a clear message; that any breaches will be taken seriously.”

Louise McCudden, advocacy lead at MSI Reproductive Choices UK, said, “We welcome the news that Stephen Green’s conviction has been upheld.

“The local safe zone is very important for our clients and our frontline healthcare workers. The zone is there to make sure anyone who needs it can access confidential medical care without being harassed and intimidated by strangers.

“Every day we are grateful that Ealing Council introduced this protection. At a time when we’re seeing global attempts to roll back reproductive rights, most notably in the United States, it could not be more important to stand up for women and girls.”