Arrested anti-abortion protestor 'willing to go to jail'

A pistillate who was arrested for taking portion successful an anti-abortion protestation extracurricular of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital successful Glasgow has said she is prepared to spell to situation implicit the offence.

Rose Docherty, 74, became the archetypal idiosyncratic to beryllium arrested and charged nether a caller instrumentality which creates buffer zones extracurricular Scottish termination clinics successful February.

She has rejected a ceremonial informing from the Crown Office - arguing that it was "unjust" - and is waiting to find retired what enactment whitethorn present beryllium taken against her.

Doctors astatine the infirmary person previously told BBC Scotland that the protests, which person been held extracurricular the infirmary for astir 10 years, were upsetting and intimidating for patients and staff.

The instrumentality prevents immoderate protests oregon vigils from taking spot wrong 200m (650ft) of 30 clinics astir the country.

Anyone who breaks the buffer zones instrumentality could beryllium fined up to £10,000 oregon an unlimited magnitude successful much superior cases.

Ms Docherty was arrested adjacent to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) successful Glasgow connected 19 February.

She had been holding a motion that said: "Coercion is simply a crime, present to talk, lone if you want".

In her archetypal broadcast interrogation since the arrest, she said she had "no crushed to regret" the incident.

She told BBC's Scotcast that the apprehension was an "alarming" and "surreal" experience.

Ms Docherty added: "I don't consciousness I was breaking the instrumentality due to the fact that I consciousness this instrumentality is an unjust law.

"I was conscionable lasting with a motion that was stating a information that coercion is simply a crime.

"I was determination to talk with radical lone if they wanted to talk with me. I wasn't approaching anyone, I wasn't behaving successful a mode that was intimidating oregon harassing anyone."

Dr Greg Irwin, a doc astatine the QEUH, was pictured confronting a radical of protestors successful February 2023, saying that they "cause affectional upset to patients, but besides to unit members".

He added: "One successful 3 women volition marque usage of termination healthcare, truthful judgemental protests astatine the infirmary gates person a existent and unpleasant effect peculiarly connected these unit members.

"But they besides impact different staff, similar myself, who find it infuriating to cognize that determination are protesters extracurricular the infirmary intimidating patients connected their mode in.

"It's specified an unbelievable cruel and unkind happening to do, and it bothers maine passim the protestation period."

The anti-abortion protests are often linked to the 40 Days for Life radical - though Ms Docherty denied that she was a subordinate of the US-based organisation.

Following her arrest, the Crown Office sent her a missive which contained a ceremonial warning.

It said the procurator fiscal had decided against bringing Ms Docherty earlier a tribunal and if she accepted the warning, she would not beryllium prosecuted.

"I said I wasn't accepting a informing due to the fact that it's unjust," she said.

"I would beryllium prepared to spell to prison. I person nary thought what mightiness happen.

"I'm waiting to spot what's going to make from having penning backmost to the procurator fiscal truthful it's up to them to spot what their adjacent measurement is."

The Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) Act came into unit past September.

It was drawn up by Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay, who said women seeking the process were subjected to "totally unacceptable maltreatment and obstruction" extracurricular hospitals.

It is simply a transgression offence to behave successful ways that could power the decisions of women and unit to entree services wrong the buffer zones.

Stopping women and unit from entering the clinics oregon different causing alarm, harassment oregon distress is besides an offence.

Gillian Mackay said patients and unit had told her that they inactive person to walk the protestors erstwhile attending the QEUH and "shared akin distress to what we heard during the transition of the bill".

She added: "I deliberation it's due that we instrumentality those concerns earnestly and the authorities instrumentality a look astatine whether an hold is due oregon not."

Ms Docherty denied that she had deliberately sought to beryllium arrested was for publicity, contempt it taking spot conscionable days aft US Vice-President JD Vance highlighted the law arsenic an illustration of escaped code is Europe being "in retreat".

When asked astir patients oregon unit feeling intimidated by the protestors, Ms Docherty said: "If they accidental they consciousness that mode past they indispensable consciousness that way, I'm not successful complaint of their feelings.

"But I cognize that my volition is not to bash that, I'm lasting peacefully and quietly."

She added: "We cognize that women person changed their minds due to the fact that thing has fixed them intermission for thought.

"If idiosyncratic is being influenced, it seems to constituent to the information that their caput isn't made up."

She said that moving to different determination further from the infirmary would marque the radical little visible, meaning their "offer of help" was little visible.

"People accidental we should spell to the Scottish parliament, but that's not wherever the assistance is needed," she added.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "The procurator fiscal has received a study concerning a 74-year-old successful narration to an alleged incidental connected 19/02/2025.

"The study remains nether the information of the procurator fiscal."