Three Insulate Britain supporters were given a temporary reprieve after a Crown Court jury failed to reach a majority verdict in the ninth trial relating to Insulate Britain’s 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance demanding that the government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes. [1]
Giovanna Lewis, 65, a town councillor from Portland, Dorset, Amy Pritchard, 37, a horticultural worker, from Walthamstow, London and Paul Sheeky, 47, a project manager from Warrington, Cheshire are charged with causing a public nuisance in relation to the Insulate Britain roadblock at Bishopsgate on 25th October 2021.[2]
After deliberating for approximately 12 hours the jury at Inner London Crown Court revealed that they could not reach a majority decision and that more time would not help to achieve a result. Judge Silas Reid dismissed the jury and the Crown Prosecution Service indicated that they will ask for a retrial. A decision will be made on that at a hearing on 31st March.
On Monday, Councillor Giovanna Lewis followed by Amy Pritchard spoke up against Judge Reid’s gagging order that forbids them from telling the jury about insulation, fuel poverty or the climate crisis.
During her closing address, Councillor Giovanna Lewis said:
“Every year thousands of UK citizens die of fuel poverty and thousands die in the world of climate change. In the future this will be millions. Government policies are responsible and the judiciary should prevent this instead of criminalising ordinary people trying to save lives and acting in self defence.”
The jury were asked to leave as she started speaking. She finished her statement as they left the room and the public gallery applauded. After the court was cleared the jury was brought back in and the trial resumed.
During her closing address Amy Pritchard said:
“I would like to remind you that there are no legal consequences for a jury for their verdict and no ability for anyone to enquire as to a jury’s reasoning as to any acquittal. The public nuisance charge has been chosen when it was not the only option and it’s a very serious charge.
“The climate crisis and fuel poverty are killing people now.
“I will not be prevented from saying this to a jury. When our so-called leaders are failing us, ordinary people have to step up. It is my motivation, and it IS relevant.”
Judge Reid then indicated that both Giovanna Lewis and Amy Pritchard will be charged with contempt of court with hearings to be held at Inner London Crown Court on Friday 3rd March at 2pm where the two face up to two years in prison or a fine or both.
Last year Judge Silas Reid issued an ‘overarching’ ruling for all the Insulate Britain public nuisance cases stating that defendants are forbidden from sharing their motivations for stopping traffic to get legislative change. Reid’s ruling specifically bans defendants from speaking about the urgent need for a national wide insulation programme of U.K. homes, the significance of fuel poverty or the substantial threat of societal collapse due to the climate crisis during their trials.
When reissuing his gagging order for this trial Judge Reid told the defendants on Wednesday 22nd February that – while they might genuinely believe that they had been performing a public good and not a public nuisance – jurors should not take their motivations into account. “It is for history to judge and not the jury,” he said. [3]
Four other trials relating to the very same roadblock have already taken place. In December three defendants were acquitted of public nuisance charges, while so far this year twelve defendants have been found guilty. One of them, David Nixon, is serving an eight week custodial sentence, handed down by Judge Reid on the 7th February for speaking about UK fuel poverty deaths and the climate crisis in his closing arguments [4][5]
In the eight previous Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges, two trials so far have resulted in acquittals, four have resulted in a guilty verdict and two have been deferred. The first Insulate Britain jury trial was deferred until June 2023 after Judge Reid dismissed the jury and asked the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether proceeding with the trial was in the public interest. [6]
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 1428 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.
[2] http://insulatebritain.com/2021/10/25/breaking-we-wont-stand-by-while-the-government-kills-our-kids/