Five 'fanatic' Just Stop Oil protesters jailed for plot to block M25
Prosecutors alleged the protests, during which 45 people climbed up the gantries, had an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was more than £1.1m.
Thursday 18 July 2024 17:40, UK
Five Just Stop Oil protesters, including one of its co-founders, have been jailed - with one sentenced to five years and the others to four.
They were all found guilty of conspiring to organise protests blocking the M25 motorway for four successive days in November 2022.
Roger Hallam, 58, Daniel Shaw, 38, Louise Lancaster, 58, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, and Cressida Gethin, 22, agreed to cause disruption to traffic by having protesters climb on to gantries over the motorway.
Hallam, co-founder of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment, while the other four were each handed four years.
They are thought to be the longest sentences ever given for peaceful protest.
Prosecutors alleged the protests, during which 45 people climbed up the gantries, had an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was more than £1.1m.
They also allegedly caused more than 50,000 hours of vehicle delay, affected more than 700,000 vehicles and left the M25 "compromised" for more than 120 hours.
A police officer suffered concussion and bruising after he was knocked off his motorbike in traffic caused by one of the protests on 9 November 2022, prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said at the sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court.
All five defendants joined a Zoom call on 2 November 2022 during which discussions were held about the planned protests and were aiming to recruit others for the protests on the call, Ms Ledward told the court.
A journalist from The Sun newspaper had joined the call pretending to be interested in the protest and passed recordings to the police.
Last week, a jury convicted the defendants of conspiracy intentionally to cause a public nuisance, contrary to section 78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
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The defendants, referred to as the Whole Truth Five by Just Stop Oil on social media, shouted "we love you" immediately after the sentences were passed down.
Judge Christopher Hehir told the defendants: "The plain fact is that each of you some time ago has crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic.
"You have appointed yourselves as sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change."
Addressing Hallam, he added: "You are the theoretician, the 'ideas' man. In my judgement you sit at the very highest level of the conspiracy."