Grandmother charged over anti-abortion protest has case dropped

A woman who was charged after taking part in an anti-abortion protest near to a Scottish hospital has had her case dismissed.

Rose Docherty, 75, was the first person to be charged under the nation's Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Act for demonstrating near to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Ms Docherty had been holding a placard that read: "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want."

Under the legislation, which came into force in 2024, protesters are prohibited from gathering within 200 metres of the 30 clinics around the country where terminations are carried out.

Ms Docherty was first accused of breaching the buffer zone in February 2025, however, six months later, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) decided to take no further action.

In September 2025, the pensioner once again found herself arrested and charged for staging another demonstration near to the superhospital.

The case was dismissed at Glasgow Sheriff Court this week.

Ms Docherty, who was supported by the legal team at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, claimed she was "treated like a violent criminal" following her arrest.

She said: "I was handcuffed, placed in the back of a police van and placed in a police cell for over two hours, without a chair to sit on."

Ms Docherty added: "Even though the verdict was a victory, the process in this case became a form of punishment for me.

"I was arrested last September and have faced seven months of criminal proceedings, merely for exercising my free speech rights.

"This should never happen in a free society."

The pensioner called for the legislation to be repealed.

She added: "The resources used by the authorities to target me, a 75-year-old grandmother, for offering to speak with people, have been totally wasted.

"Authorities should focus on tackling real crime in Glasgow, not censoring a Catholic grandmother."

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ADF International said Sheriff Stuart Reid dismissed the case after prosecutors were unable to provide evidence of Ms Docherty's behaviour influencing another individual within the buffer zone who was accessing, providing or facilitating the provision of abortion services - a key component of the legislation.

However, the matter can be brought back to court should the Crown Office secure such evidence and deem the case still to be in the public interest.

A COPFS spokesperson said: "COPFS notes the decision of the court and will consider it carefully."

(c) Sky News 2026: Grandmother charged over anti-abortion protest has case dropped