Two cleared over abortion poster

The poster was exhibited during campaigning in south Wales

Two anti-abortion campaigners have been cleared of a public order offence in connection with a poster of a dismembered foetus.

ProLife Alliance members Joseph Biddulph, 52, from Pontypridd, and Fiona Pinto, 23, from Hertfordshire, were arrested for refusing to take down the image during their campaign to be elected to the Welsh assembly.

At the end of a two-day hearing on Thursday, Chair of Abergavenny magistrates' bench Sally Ann Fleming Jones said the poster could be seen as being in poor taste, and displaying it in a public shopping area in the school holidays as unwise.

However, she said, in light of freedom of expression and the modern-day images shown daily in the media, they did not find it insulting and found the pair not guilty.

Both campaigners say they now plan to sue police for unlawful arrest, unlawful detention and the confiscation of election material.

The court had heard how the 4ft by 2ft colour poster, which showed a dismembered 21-week-old foetus, was displayed to shoppers in Newport city centre on 24 April.

The general public demanded the poster be taken down and some ladies were in tears and visibly upset. Pc Raymond Meachell

Prosecutor Heath Edwards said the image had "distressed" passers-by - both children and adults.

"Their behaviour was insulting and caused harassment to members of the public present - the poster was the cause of the insult.

"The Crown recognise the need for free speech but that free speech comes with a responsibility not to insult others and cause disorder.

"They breached that duty."

One of the Gwent Police officers Pc Raymond Meachell recalled how a crowd of shoppers had gathered around Ms Pinto and Mr Biddulph outside a branch of Boots.

"The general public demanded the poster be taken down and some ladies were in tears and visibly upset.

"Having seen the poster, I told Mr Biddulph to take it down as it was causing distress to people in the street."

But Mr Biddulph refused, magistrates were told.

"I can honestly say in 30 years of policing it is the first time I have ever received a round of applause for making an arrest in the street," Pc Meachell added.

I don't understand why people would not want to know about a controversial issue. Defendant Fiona Pinto

But defending counsel Stuart Hutton said the pair were only "standing and holding a poster".

He argued that the arrival of police had caused people to "stop and stare" and take an interest in what was taking place.

Ms Pinto, an Oxford University graduate and former parliamentary researcher, told magistrates: "I believe in democracy, I don't understand why people would cheer election candidates being arrested.

"I don't understand why people would not want to know about a controversial issue."

"I believe that people will understand why we are against abortion if they see the picture."

She denied the poster was deliberately exposed to children, but that it was intended to target adults.

"Two 10-year-olds asked us why the baby looked like that," she said.

"They said this is awful and they would never have an abortion."

But she admitted that, in the video shown to the court taken from closed circuit TV footage on the day, one woman was shielding her child's eyes from the poster.