21st November 2022 7AM
The trial of the first four Insulate Britain supporters to be tried by jury is due to begin today in Court 2 at Inner London Crown Court. The trial comes just days after the Chancellor announced a £6bn pledge as part of the Autumn Statement to Insulate Britain. [1]
Daniel Shaw, 37, a public sector worker from Northampton, Karen Wildin, 58, an English Teacher from Leicester, Maria Lee, 69, a retired teacher from Northampton and Victoria Lindsell, 67, also a teacher from Rugby will attend to answer a charge of Public Nuisance relating to Insulate Britain’s campaign of nonviolent civil resistance on the M25 last year undertaken to demand the UK government insulates Britain’s cold and leaky homes. [2] [3]
The four supporters were arrested at Poyle Interchange at Junction 14 M25 close to Staines on the first day of our civil resistance campaign, 13th September, one month after Insulate Britain wrote to the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to demand that the government get on with the job of insulating Britain’s homes, starting with social housing by 2025. [4]
The trial is expected to last up to 4 days and is the first jury trial of 51 trials scheduled to take place over the 13 months. If found guilty the supporters could face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Maria Lee and Victoria Lindsell, have opted to self represent to the court whilst Karen Wildin and Daniel Shaw will have professional representation from Robert Lizar Solicitors and Hodge Jones Allen Solicitors respectively.
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
[2] Maria Lee, Karen Wildin and Victoria Lindsell will be available for a photo call outside Inner London Crown Court from 9:15AM today. Daniel Shaw is currently in prison being held without trial and is due to be transported from HMP Thameside to the court.
[3] 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.
[4] https://insulatebritain.com/2021/09/13/get-the-job-done/