Four Insulate Britain supporters were found guilty of causing a public nuisance by a Crown Court jury in Hove today. The thirteenth Insulate Britain jury trial relates to the first roadblock of Insulate Britain’s 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance undertaken to demand the UK government insulates Britain’s cold and leaky homes. [1]
Venetia Carter, 58, a tutor from Brighton, Cameron Ford, 31, a carpenter from Cambridge, Alexander Rodgers,33 a teacher from Brighton and Cathy Eastburn, 55, a musician from London were charged with causing a public nuisance for taking part in the Insulate Britain roadblock at Swanley in Kent, Jct 3, M25 on 13th September 2021. [2]
The jury took under an hour to deliberate before returning a unanimous guilty verdict. The group will appear for sentencing on 9th June. The charge of causing a public nuisance carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, an unlimited fine or both. However, Judge Mooney indicated that custodial sentences would not be given but that significant costs could be awarded against the defendants.
The trial, which began on Monday at Hove Trial Centre, started with Judge Mooney ruling that the four defendants would each have 20 minutes to speak to the jury when giving evidence in their defence. Unlike Judge Silas Reid at Inner London Crown Court, Judge Mooney did not impose any restrictions on the four talking about their motivations for joining Insulate Britain or on mentioning fuel poverty, climate or civil resistance.
However, the Judge did tell the jury that there is no defence in law to the charge of public nuisance and that they should therefore judge the defendants based on the evidence of whether their actions met the threshold of significance for public nuisance.
At Inner London Crown Court 5 people have been jailed since February for telling the truth in court including two earlier this week. [3]
In her closing statement to the jury Cathy Eastburn said:
“Collectively we are running out of time to take remedial action to avert catastrophe. Drastic action is needed now. Sir David King, ex chief scientific adviser to the UK government said two years ago that what we do in the next three to four years will determine the future of humanity.”
Our action created headlines… this created space for lots of coverage of issues of climate change, fuel poverty and insulation in the tabloids and other papers that don’t generally cover those issues. Insulation is now on the public agenda, and action is finally being taken by our government to insulate people’s homes. Not enough, by any means, but a start.
Our action was proportionate, reasonable, appropriate and necessary. It is saving lives already and will save many more. “
In his summing up, Cameron Ford said:
“Civil resistance is the only way to bring about change and puts the government in a dilemma – whether to jail people who are demanding decent homes. Thousands die each winter in freezing homes and right now, there are millions of people in our society struggling to pay their bills.
“I can only retrofit so many homes as one individual. Without government backing we won’t have the people trained up to do the work, we won’t have the financial structures to make it accessible and the public will lack the support and leadership needed to tackle such a big crisis. This is why I turned to civil disobedience.
Speaking after the verdict Venetia Carter said:
“I have no regrets about taking action with Insulate Britain, despite this verdict. I feel privileged to have got to know the very special group of courageous and lovely people who sat on the road with me on that day.”
In the thirteen Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges to date, two trials have resulted in a hung jury, two trials have resulted in acquittals, seven 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%. [5]
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. [6]
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] https://insulatebritain.com/2021/09/13/we-have-to-keep-going/
[3] 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/
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/
Alyson Lee, David Nixon and Christian Murray-Lesley jailed for telling the whole truth during sentencing: https://insulatebritain.com/2023/04/18/breaking-three-insulate-britain-supporters-sent-to-prison-after-they-pledge-to-continue-civil-resistance/
[5] https://www.cps.gov.uk/publication/code-crown-prosecutors
[6] 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)