Court of Appeal considers case of pastor convicted for preaching the gospel

• 78-year-old retired pastor Clive Johnston’s appeal heard at the Court of Appeal; pastor unable to attend due to ill health 
• Johnston was convicted and fined after holding a small open-air Sunday service near Causeway Hospital, Coleraine, in July 2024  
• His sermon, based on John 3:16, made no reference to abortion, and he was not accused of harassment, intimidation or obstructing access to a clinic 

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The Court of Appeal in Belfast heard the case of retired pastor Clive Johnston yesterday, who was convicted under Northern Ireland’s abortion ‘Safe Access Zones’ legislation, after a court ruled that preaching the Gospel during a small open-air church service near a hospital amounted to a criminal offence.  

Johnston, aged 78, was convicted at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court on 7 May 2026 and fined a total of £450. The appeal will challenge the ruling arising from a Sunday service held near Causeway Hospital in Coleraine on 7 July 2024.  

The service included preaching from John 3:16, one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, beginning “For God so loved the world...”. There were no banners or placards, and the sermon made no reference to abortion. Johnston was not accused of harassing anyone, verbally attacking anyone or impeding access to a clinic.  

Following the conviction, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) announced that hospital chaplains and clergy risk being accused of committing a criminal offence if they carry a Bible through a public area of a hospital, or pray with patients on request, in case somebody sees and is “influenced” about an unrelated abortion decision.  

At the appeal, lawyers for Pastor Johnston argued that the District Judge failed to properly recognise his rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion under the European Convention.  

The appeal comes amid wider international attention as to the use of abortion buffer zone legislation and its implications for religious liberty. In April 2026, a US State Department spokesman told The Daily Telegraph that the United States was monitoring buffer zone cases in the UK and other acts of censorship throughout Europe. They referred to the treatment of Clive Johnston as an “egregious violation” of freedom of speech and a “concerning departure” from the shared values that underpin the special relationship. 

Unable to attend the court due to ill health, Clive Johnston said:

Nobody should be criminalised for expressing the basic truths of their faith. I preached an open-air gospel sermon on a Sunday afternoon about the love that God has for all people. In Northern Ireland, of all places, surely we should be allowed to continue to express such a good and hopeful message. Yet for this, I was convicted of a crime. 

I have always been confident that my right to speak freely and preach the Gospel is protected under the law - including in these abortion zones. I trust that sooner or later the courts will confirm that.

I'm grateful for the work of my legal team and for The Christian Institute's support in appealing my case today. I pray that a positive outcome will help secure much-needed public assurance that there are no gospel-free zones in Northern Ireland." 

Pastor Johnston is being supported in his legal action by The Christian Institute.  

Ciarán Kelly, Director of The Christian Institute, said:

“There should be no public areas in Northern Ireland where expressing the Christian faith is prohibited. 

“Buffer zones were ostensibly introduced to protect people accessing abortion from harassment and obstruction. Yet Clive was convicted after preaching from John 3:16 during a peaceful open-air service, without ever once mentioning abortion.  

“The issue before the court is whether the legislation can be applied so broadly that peaceful Christian worship in a public place becomes a criminal offence. We will continue to support Clive as he challenges this ruling and seeks to protect the freedom of Christians to express their faith.”