Five Just Stop Oil protesters, including one of its co-founders, have been jailed for conspiring to organise protests that blocked the M25 motorway.
Roger Hallam, an environmental activist who was one of the founding members of the group, agreed to causing disruption to traffic by having protesters climb onto gantries over the motorway for four successive days in November 2022.
The 58-year-old was joined by Daniel Shaw, 38, Louise Lancaster, 58, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, and Cressida Gethin, 22, as they were all sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.
Hallam was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment while the remaining four defendants were each handed four years’ imprisonment.
Prosecutors alleged the protests, which saw 45 people climb up the gantries, led to an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was more than £1.1 million.
They also allegedly caused more than 50,000 hours of vehicle delay, affecting more than 700,000 vehicles, and left the M25 ‘compromised’ for more than 120 hours.
Prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC told the court that a police officer suffered a concussion and bruising after being knocked off his motorbike in traffic caused by one of the protests on November 9, 2022.
Roger Hallam (pictured) was one of five Just Stop Oil protesters jailed for conspiring to organise protests that blocked the M25 motorway
From left to right: Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Cressida Gethin, Louise Lancaster, Daniel Shaw and Roger Hallam. Hallam was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment while the remaining four defendants were each handed four years’ imprisonment
Environmental Defender Michel Forst (centre) outside Southwark Crown Court with the five Just Stop Oil protesters who have been jailed today
Prosecutors alleged the protests, which saw 45 people climb up the gantries (pictured) , led to an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was more than £1.1 million
All five defendants joined a Zoom call on November 2 2022, in which discussions were held about the planned protests, based off ‘what was said expressly and what could be inferred’, and were aiming to recruit others for the protests on the call, Ms Ledward told the court.
A journalist from the Sun newspaper, who had joined the call pretending to be interested in the protest, managed to record some of it and passed the recordings on to the police.
Judge Christopher Hehir said the Zoom call showed ‘how intricately planned the disruption was and the sophistication involved’, and was ‘compelling evidence’ of the existence of a conspiracy.
There was ‘extensive organisation and planning’ for the protests and each defendant had a ‘significant role’ in the conspiracy, Ms Ledward said.
The defendants were convicted by a jury 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, on July 11.
The protestors, referred to as the Whole Truth Five by Just Stop Oil on social media, spoke to confirm their names in court and shouted ‘We love you’ from the dock immediately after the sentences were passed down.
Supporters of Just Stop Oil outside Southwark Crown Court today. The defendants were convicted by a jury 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, on July 11
Police watch as traffic is held back as an activist from Just Stop Oil occupies a gantry over the M25 near Godstone in Surrey
Specialist rope officers were deployed by Kent Police to remove the activists and limit disruption on the motorway
The protests allegedly caused more than 50,000 hours of vehicle delay, affecting more than 700,000 vehicles, and left the M25 ‘compromised’ for more than 120 hours
Judge Hehir said: ‘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, the judge said: ‘You are the theoretician, the ‘ideas’ man.
‘In my judgment you sit at the very highest level of the conspiracy.’
The judge told the court 11 protesters were arrested on suspicion of contempt outside the court during the case’s trial on July 2, but the court had discontinued its proceedings against them on July 11 after he became ‘concerned’ about their position.
TV naturalist and Just Stop Oil supporter Chris Packham was outside the courthouse.
Speaking to protesters he said: ‘At this point I feel physically sick, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt that in this way ever before.
‘I’ve just watched what can only be described as judicial thuggery, a total disregard for any mitigation circumstances when it came to sentencing. Disproportionately high sentences given to peaceful climate protesters in a world which is on fire.
‘In a world which is burning and flooding. In a world in the midst of a biodiversity crisis.’
The 63-year-old added: ‘It’s terrifying that this is happening in the UK we must do everything we can to push back for our right to peaceful protest. We must be clear, today it’s about the climate, tomorrow it could be about something else. This is a terrifying, terrifying result today.
‘I’ve been in those delays caused by Just Stop Oil protesters. I’ve suffered those inconveniences, not to the same degree that I’ve missed a funeral or missed a hospital appointment or anything of that level. But can I just say that at this point we need to look at the bigger picture on a global scale. Think about our entire species.
‘Turn on your social media this evening, look at the flooding, look at the fires, look at people’s homes and livelihoods being destroyed all over the world, thats coming here. Football didn’t come home but climate breakdown will.’
There have been no protests on the M25 since November 2022.
