AN ANTI-ABORTION campaigner was convicted today for breaching a “buffer zone” outside a Bournemouth abortion clinic.

Livia Tossici-Bolt, 64, was found guilty at Poole Magistrates’ Court of two counts of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order on two occasions in March 2023.

She was handed a two-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £20,000 towards court costs, along with a £26 victim surcharge.

The case gained international attention after a US Department of State division posted a statement on X, saying: “We are monitoring her case. It is important that the UK respect and protect freedom of expression.”

The buffer zone, introduced in 2022 by the local council, is designed to protect patients and staff from harassment and distress while accessing the clinic.

The court heard that Ms Tossici-Bolt had held a sign reading “Here to talk, if you want” within the restricted area.

Following the verdict, the retired medical scientist called it a “dark day for Great Britain” and an infringement on the freedom of expression.

But District Judge Orla Austin said that Ms Tossici-Bolt had “deeply held” beliefs but her rights of freedom of expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights had to be balanced against the rights of the women accessing the clinic and its staff.

She said: “The zone is reduced to a small area that it is necessary to protect the rights of those using and/or visiting the clinic.

“I conclude that she lacks insight into the fact that her presence could have a detrimental impact upon women attending the clinic, their associates, the staff, and members of the public.”

Downing Street said it was vital that women using abortion services can do so “without being subject to harassment or distress,” and the right to protest does not “give people the right to harass others.”

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council welcomed the conviction, stating that the buffer zone enacted in 2022 was there so patients and staff “could safely access” the clinic “without fear of intimidation.”

British Pregnancy Advisory Service chief executive Heidi Stewart said the verdict will protect women and the staff who provide abortion care.

She said: “The clinic in Bournemouth has been subjected to decades of anti-abortion protests which resulted in more than 500 reports of harassment before this local safe access zone was brought into force.

“This case was never about global politics but about the simple ability of women to access legal healthcare free from harassment.

“I stand shoulder to shoulder with our staff who work so tirelessly to protect our patients from the impact of anti-abortion harassment outside the clinic gate.”

In her findings, the judge said a report had been made that “someone felt harassed alarmed and distressed by her (the defendant’s) presence” and “the fact that she was displaying visible signage directly outside the clinic.”