5Offence of influencing, preventing access or causing harassment etc. in area visible or audible from safe access zoneS
(1)A person who is in a relevant area relating to protected premises commits an offence if the person—
(a)does an act that is capable of being seen or heard by another person who is within the safe access zone for the protected premises, and
(b)does so with the intention of, or is reckless as to whether the act has the effect of—
(i)influencing the decision of another person to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services at the protected premises,
(ii)preventing or impeding another person from accessing, providing or facilitating the provision of abortion services at the protected premises, or
(iii)causing harassment, alarm or distress to another person in connection with the other person’s decision to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services at the protected premises,
where in each case the other person is in the safe access zone for the protected premises for the purpose of accessing, providing or facilitating the provision of abortion services at the protected premises.
(2)In subsection (1), the reference to an act that is capable of being seen or heard by another person does not include an act that is capable of being seen or heard by the other person only indirectly by means of seeing or hearing a recording or transmission of the act received by the other person by electronic means.
(3)Where a person does an act in a relevant area relating to protected premises constituting an offence under subsection (1) and the act has a continuing effect, it does not matter for the purpose of that subsection whether any other person referred to in the subsection is in the safe access zone for the protected premises at the time the person does the act.
(4)A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum,
(b)on conviction on indictment, to a fine.
(5)In this section, “relevant area”, in relation to protected premises, means an area that is not a public area (within the meaning of section 2(7)) forming part of the safe access zone for the protected premises but which is situated within the area between the protected premises and the boundary of the safe access zone.
Commencement Information
I1S. 5 not in force at Royal Assent, see s. 17(2)
I2S. 5 in force at 24.9.2024 by S.S.I. 2024/232, reg. 2