A further two Insulate Britain supporters were jailed today for public nuisance after they told the court they planned to continue in civil resistance until the government decarbonises the U.K. housing stock and halts new oil and gas. They join three people jailed on Tuesday bringing to five the total number of people sent to prison this week for doing the right thing. [1]
Reverend Mark Coleman, 63, a retired vicar from Rochdale and Catherine Rennie-Nash, 72, a retired teacher and grandma from Kendal, appeared at Inner London Crown Court today for sentencing along with five others: Daphne Jackson, 73, a psychotherapist and grandmother from Cumbria, Stephanie Aylett, 28, a medical sales representative from St Albans, Beatrice Pooley, 65, an English teacher from Kendal, Simon Reding, 50, an environmental consultant from Manchester and Helen Redfern, 58, a grandmother and social enterprise founder from Gateshead. [2][3]
During today’s hearing, Judge Reid questioned the seven being sentenced about their future intentions and in particular asked whether they intended to continue in civil resistance. He indicated that this would determine whether a suspended or a custodial sentence should be given.
Reverend Mark Coleman and Catherine Rennie-Nash each declared that they would continue in civil resistance and were given custodial prison sentences of 5 weeks each of which they will serve half before being released, following which they will be on probation for 18 months. Stephanie Aylett, Simon Reding and Helen Redfern were given sentences of between 3 and 6 weeks suspended for 18 months. Daphne Jackson and Beatrice Pooley were ordered to do community service of 60 hours over 12 and 18 months respectively.
Liam Norton, 38, an electrician and spokesperson for the campaign from Scarborough said:
“The courts are proving themselves to be morally bankrupt and complicit in the breakdown of law and order in the UK. The British Justice system no longer has legitimacy in our eyes whatsoever. Sending pensioners to prison rather than accepting that civil resistance is both vital to ensure our lives, economy, pensions, properties and communities survive.
“For Judge Reid to say, in his opinion, ‘the net effect of all these protests is zero’ is both inaccurate and historically illiterate. Our supporters have risked their liberty time and time again to demand the government end fuel poverty and decarbonises the UK housing stock, and since our campaign both the government and the opposition have pledged to ‘Insulate Britain’.”
Speaking to the court, Reverend Mark Coleman said:
“I want to state that I acted to protect human life, to draw attention to the death and destruction caused by rising emissions and the impacts of cold damp homes on the health of the citizens of our country. I had learned of the effects of fuel poverty when I worked for the charity Age Concern in the 1980s. Later, in the Liverpool and Rochdale parishes where I served as parish priest, I saw the misery caused by these uninsulated homes and the fuel poverty and debt that often ensues. “
“In the ordination service priests are told that they should ‘resist evil, support the weak, defend the poor, and intercede for all in need’. For me of course it has moral authority. Poor people are more likely to die prematurely. I have tried to be true to my ordination vows. I see it as part of my vocation as a priest, to continue to resist until the government acts. I expect that this civil resistance will involve sitting on the public highway again.”
Speaking to the court, Catherine Rennie-Nash said:
“It is my duty and responsibility to act in the best way I know how, to try to help prevent my grandchildren inheriting a difficult and deadly future. I am at a total loss to understand the utter corruption of a government that allows this to happen – in fact not only allows it to happen but puts its foot on the accelerator to hurtle us faster towards the precipice.
All the government needs to do is what it’s paid to do – protect its citizens by investing in climate, ecological and people saving, green options. No wonder so many of our young people feel they have no future. I am enraged and disgusted by our so-called leaders, and I’m enraged and disgusted by a judiciary that continues to aid them.
While I am able, I will continue in civil resistance because my conscience and sense of responsibility will not allow me to do otherwise.”
Mark Coleman and Daphne Jackson were ordered to pay £3,500 prosecution costs. Beatrice Pooley and Helen Redfern had costs of £600 and £150 respectively. Catherine Rennie Nash, Stephanie Aylett and Simon Reding were not required to pay prosecution costs. All except Stephanie Aylett were ordered to pay a victim surcharge of between £95 and £128.
Earlier in the week on Tuesday Alyson Lee, 64, a retired teaching assistant from Derby, David Nixon, 36, a care worker from Barnsley and Christian Murray-Leslie, 79, a retired Doctor from Derbyshire were also given prison sentences of 5 weeks after stating they would continue in civil resistance. [4]
As with all the Insulate Britain public nuisance trials at Inner London Crown Court, those sentenced today were subject to Judge Reid’s gagging order during their trial. Reid’s ruling prevents Insulate Britain supporters from truthfully defending themselves in court by banning them from mentioning fuel poverty, the climate crisis or civil resistance when defending their actions in front of the jury. Today’s decision brings to 8 the number of people that have been jailed since February for telling the truth in court. [5][6]
In the twelve Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges to date, two trials have resulted in a hung jury, two trials have resulted in acquittals, six have resulted in a guilty verdict and two have been deferred. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has applied for retrials in the two cases where the jury failed to reach a majority verdict. This is despite the Code for Crown Prosecutors which states that the CPS must only bring cases where there is a “realistic prospect of conviction”. The current rate of successful convictions of Insulate Britain supporters brought to trial for a charge of public nuisance is 50%. [7]
The CPS has chosen to summon a total of 56 supporters to answer at least 201 charges of public nuisance across at least 45 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 at least 1,462 hours of court time at a cost of over £1 million. [8]
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] Roadblock: https://insulatebritain.com/2021/10/25/breaking-we-wont-stand-by-while-the-government-kills-our-kids/
[3] Bishopsgate Acquittals: https://insulatebritain.com/2022/12/09/breaking-three-insulate-britain-supporters-vindicated-after-jury-returns-unanimous-not-guilty-verdict/
[4] Three sent to prison on Tuesday: https://insulatebritain.com/2023/04/18/breaking-three-insulate-britain-supporters-sent-to-prison-after-they-pledge-to-continue-civil-resistance/
[5] David Nixon Jailed for telling the Whole Truth during trial: https://insulatebritain.com/2023/02/07/insulate-britain-supporter-jailed-for-eight-weeks-for-telling-the-truth-in-court/
[6] Amy Pritchard and Cllr Giovanna Lewis Jailed for telling the Whole Truth during trial: https://insulatebritain.com/2023/03/03/two-insulate-britain-supporters-jailed-for-seven-weeks-for-mentioning-fuel-poverty-and-climate-in-court/
[7] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/code-crown-prosecutors
[8] Workings:
Total hours – Each Public Nuisance trial has been scheduled to take 5 days. The court sits for at least 6 hours each day (45 trials x 5 days x 6 hours = 1,350 hours)Total cost – The CPS claims prosecution costs of £5,000 per person tried and found guilty of Public Nuisance (201 charges x £5,000 a time = £1,005,000)