Abortion clinic preacher given injunction
A Christian street preacher has been banned from using an amplifier and using the term "murderer" outside an abortion clinic.
Michael Overd, 56, of Taunton, was told he could be sent to jail if he breached the interim injunction, which was obtained by Avon and Somerset Police. Police said it followed complaints about his behaviour outside an abortion clinic in the town. The injunction was extended until July 2022 by the High Court in Bristol. After the hearing Avon and Somerset Police said it was trying to balance Mr Overd's rights to free speech with preventing members of the public from being "alarmed or distressed". The force said: "It's clear from the volume of complaints we've received during the past few years that Michael Overd's actions and words have adversely affected the lives of many members of the public." Under the terms of the injunction Mr Overd is prohibited from using any amplification device when preaching in public or playing copies of pre-recorded preaching in public spaces in Somerset and Bristol. He is also banned from using the term "murderer" orally towards any person within 80 yards (73m) of a named abortion clinic in Taunton. Police, though, were unsuccessful in several other attempts to restrict Mr Overd. Attempts to stop him using a soapbox, use visual aids, stopping him going within 80 yards of an abortion clinic in Taunton, preaching for more than 20 minutes in a single town or parish or breaching the peace through words or actions in a public space were all rejected.