Three Insulate Britain supporters were found not guilty of causing a public nuisance by a Crown Court Jury today in the second jury trial relating to Insulate Britain’s campaign of nonviolent civil resistance last year undertaken to demand the UK government insulates Britain’s cold and leaky homes. [1]
The jury took around 40 minutes to deliberate before returning a unanimous verdict. Joshua Smith, 29, a Stonemason from Manchester, who has been in prison without trial since July for taking action with Just Stop Oil, Gwen Harrison, 45, a climate change consultant from Kendal and Emily Brocklebank, 24, a student from Leeds were declared not guilty of all charges relating to the Insulate Britain roadblock on Bishopgate on 25th October 2021. [2]
Gwen Harrison, who represented herself in court said:
“This verdict vindicates Insulate Britain’s campaign. It was a politically motivated show trial that has failed, like everything this government touches. We were barred from telling the jury why we took action that day. We could not tell them that by failing to insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes and allowing greedy energy companies to profiteer at our expense this government is sentencing millions of families to a winter of misery and starvation, in which thousands will die of the cold.
“ Despite this, the jury found us not guilty. This is because everyday people already know that the government is failing in its fundamental duty and that no-one is coming to save us from the cost of living crisis and climate collapse. Civil resistance is our best option for survival.”
The trial, which began on Monday at Inner London Crown Court started with Judge Silas Reid ruling that the three defendants have no defence in law against the charge of causing a public nuisance by blocking Bishopgate on 25th October 2021. They were each barred from referring to the climate crisis, insulation or fuel poverty during their defence.
However, during the four day trial the prosecution failed to provide convincing evidence that disruption caused by the roadblock in question amounted to public nuisance.
The outcome raises further doubts for future Insulate Britain trials. The first Insulate Britain jury trial was deferred until June 2023 after the Judge dismissed the jury and asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider whether proceeding with the trial was in the public interest. [3][4]
The trial at Inner London Crown Court was the second jury trial of 51 trials scheduled to take place over the next 13 months. If found guilty the supporters face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The next jury trial of our supporters is due to begin on Monday 12th December also at Inner London Crown Court.
The Crown Prosecution Service has chosen to summon a total of 56 supporters to answer at least 201 charges of Public Nuisance across at least 51 jury trials the last of which is scheduled to begin on 4th December 2023. These trials are planned to be heard across Inner London, Hove, Lewes and Reading Crown Courts and we estimate will take up around one thousand four hundred and twenty eight hours of court time.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Insulate Britain is a campaign group that is calling on the UK government to put in place policy and funding for a national home insulation programme starting with all social housing by 2025, and create a meaningful plan to insulate the entire UK housing stock by 2030.
Further information about Insulate Britain and our demands here:
https://insulatebritain.com/
Technical Report on home energy efficiency here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jt5FI-kinEXoqZtPDrCvnAVQ2EFn8Aea/view
Insulate Britain ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been, to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with ‘blue lights’ on.