A Bristol University professor found guilty of causing criminal damage at a Government ministry in London has had his conviction overturned on appeal.
Prof Colin Davis was one of nine scientists who walked up to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and glued scientific papers about climate change to the windows, sprayed washable chalk spray on it and glued their own hands to the building to protest the Government's allowance of new oil and gas exploration in this country.
The nine arrested were from the group Scientists for Extinction Rebellion, and were charged but tried in two groups in August and October last year. The Bristol University professor was in the first group of four who were charged with causing criminal damage to the value of £2,000, and found guilty. The second group of five were put on trial in October and successfully argued that the Colston Four ruling in September last year meant they had no case to answer, so were cleared.
Read next: Retired couple 'using their privilege' to get arrested in London protest
The Home Secretary Suella Braverman referred the Colston Four acquittal to the Court of Appeal, which confirmed in September that their prosecution was ‘disproportionate’ to the amount of damage, if any, that had been caused to the Colston statue.
The five protesters successfully used that argument to be acquitted, but that Colston Four ruling came after Prof Davis and the other three had been already found guilty. They appealed to Southwark Crown Court and won their appeal last week, with their convictions now quashed.
The appeal judge highlighted the fact that the Extinction Rebellion activists had directly targeted the Government building department responsible for the thing they were protesting about, rather than the general public.
“The protest was directly focused on the responsibilities of His Majesty's government for the climate emergency and in particular its role in issuing new oil and gas licences,” he said, adding that there was ‘scant’ evidence for the damage actually caused.
Judge Nicholas Rimmer concluded, as he dismissed the case and found all four defendants not guilty, that it is clear ‘the protesters held heartfelt and real concerns about climate change and these are very important issues’.
After being acquitted, Prof Davis questioned the motivation for prosecuting the nine scientists who had gone to great lengths to avoid causing any damage to the building in their protest. “It is a relief to have the Crown Court recognise that our actions were not criminal, but rather constituted legitimate political protest,” he said.
“The true criminals are the fossil fuel companies that are destroying our climate in their ruthless drive to maximize profits, and the governments, including our own, that aid and abet this vandalism on a global scale. The Secretary General of the United Nations is correct to refer to this as a criminal abdication of leadership,” he added.
Read next:
- Surfers Against Sewage warn of storm discharges into rivers in Bristol and Bath
- Jacob Rees-Mogg slammed by campaign group over claims MP voted 'in support of raw sewage'
- Bristol doctor and XR protester acquitted in court after blocking Lambeth Bridge
Extinction Rebellion fix 'blue plaques' to Bristol landmarks in sewage protest
Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here.
