BREAKING: FOUR INSULATE BRITAIN SUPPORTERS VINDICATED AFTER JURY RETURNS UNANIMOUS NOT GUILTY VERDICT

Four Insulate Britain supporters were found not guilty of causing a public nuisance by a Crown Court jury today in the fourth 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] 

Christian Rowe, 25 from Southwark,  Rev Sue Parfitt, 80, from Bristol,  Benjamin Buse, 37 from Somerset and Ruth Jarman, 59 from Hampshire were declared not guilty of causing a public nuisance in relation to the Insulate Britain roadblock at Cranford Parkway on the M4 on 1st October 2021. [2]

The jury took around 4 hours to deliberate before returning a unanimous not guilty verdict. 

The trial, which began on Tuesday 3rd January at Inner London Crown Court, started with Judge Silas Reid ruling that the four defendants could not refer to their motivations for blocking the motorway in their defence. They were each barred from referring to the climate crisis, insulation or fuel poverty during the trial.

Speaking after the verdict today, Rev Sue Parfitt, said:

Despite all the odds I am thankful that 12 of my fellow citizens were able to see the bigger picture and even when directed by the judge to find us guilty, they were able to understand that the unprecedented times in which we live calls for us all to step out of the box and make courageous decisions. Thank you jury.”

“I think reasonable people can see that inconveniencing a few people on their way to work does not compare with the appalling threat to humanity caused by the blindness, stubbornness and greed of just a few people, including our government. We must keep on doing our best, giving our all and obeying God’s calling to us.”

Christian Rowe, said:

I’m amazed we were found not guilty. Not because we are guilty but because the judge didn’t let us explain ourselves. We could not mention our motivation. It must have required tremendous insight and trust for the jury to see through the obtuse impositions of the law, through our constrained defence to the truth of the imminent danger the climate crisis places us all in. I am extremely grateful to each of them for that. “

“Neither can we be complacent about such a verdict. It just means that the police and the prosecutors will adapt their tactics and the government their laws for ensuring the punishment of future protesters, whom this government is intent on silencing. “

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. The second Jury trial resulted in a unanimous not guilty verdict and the third trial ended in another deferral [3][4] 

The news comes as trade associations representing power retailers, social landlords and councils call on Rishi Sunak to begin funding for mass insulation now to cut energy bills and create jobs, instead of waiting three months for new funding promised by his Chancellor. [5] 

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

Press contact: 07762987334  

Email: insulatebritainpress@protonmail.com

High quality photos and video footage available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kucq-NfhnZLGJWwLx1HX03cWR7M9Y2-m

Website: https://www.insulatebritain.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insulatebritain

Twitter: https://twitter.com/insulatelove

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g

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.

[2] 

http://insulatebritain.com/2021/10/01/insulate-britain-blocks-m4-m1/

[3] http://insulatebritain.com/2022/11/25/breaking-first-trial-by-jury-of-insulate-britain-supporters-deferred-as-judge-questions-whether-the-case-is-in-the-public-interest/


[4] http://insulatebritain.com/2022/12/09/breaking-three-insulate-britain-supporters-vindicated-after-jury-returns-unanimous-not-guilty-verdict/

[5] https://theenergyst.com/mass-retrofits-to-lag-homes-urgently-needed-powercos-councils-builders-tell-sunak/