BRISBANE pro-life activist Graham Preston was arrested at his home on May 2 to spend eight months behind bars.
Mr Preston was arrested on charges relating to unpaid fines incurred as a result of his sit-in “rescue” actions outside abortion clinics.
He has refused to pay the fines on principle.
In previous interviews with The Catholic Leader the father of seven has said that, having spent more than a total of eight months in custody on four different occasions since he started his protest actions in 2002, “jail is no longer an unknown quantity to me”.
Mr Preston, a member of Protect Life, said his conscience would not let him pay the fines, which had resulted from trying to block mothers from entering an abortion clinic to have abortions.
“My actions were completely non-violent and I believe have achieved the desired result,” he said.
“For example, one of the women who worked at an abortion clinic said on oath in one court case that potential clients who came to the abortion clinic on the days I was there hadn’t gone through with their appointments.
“Neither had they made new appointments.
“No doubt the witness said this to make me look bad, but I was delighted to hear my actions had this impact.”
Mr Preston said his wife and seven children were supportive o0f his decision not to pay the fines although his imprisonment would be “a big challenge for them all”.
He sees his situation as just “another step on the way to trying to do what any person would if they say somebody was about to be killed”.
