Four Insulate Britain supporters walked free from Woolwich Crown Court today after sentencing for actions taken during Insulate Britain’s 2021 campaign of nonviolent civil resistance demanding the UK government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes. A campaign that was later called prescient by a number of commentators.[1] [2] [3]
Gabriella Ditton, Jessica Causby and Joshua Smith were appearing before Judge C Grout in connection with an M25 roadblock on 27 September 2021. All had pleaded guilty to common law public nuisance for participating in the roadblock on a slip road at J14, Poyle Interchange, near Heathrow. They were given sentences of 8 months custodial, suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £100 each in costs and a victim surcharge of £156 . [4]
Elizabeth Rosser was sentenced after pleading guilty to common law public nuisance in relation to blocking Upper Thames Street on 25 October 2021. Elizabeth was given a conditional discharge for 18 months and ordered to pay £100 pounds in costs and a victim surcharge of £22. Trials relating to the action at Upper Thames Street on 25th October 2021 have resulted in a hung jury on at least two occasions. [5][6]
Speaking after the sentencing Gabriella Ditton said:
“I took action in 2021 to demand that the government gets on with the job of addressing the climate crisis, but despite all of the actions of Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil and many other groups, we are yet to see a government that really appreciates the life threatening trajectory that we are on. The floods and wildfires are only going to get worse.”
“So what we need now is judges standing up and recognising their responsibilities to the public. If they did that, they wouldn’t be punishing people who are trying to protect their communities from the threat of climate breakdown and societal collapse. Instead they would be demanding that the real climate criminals are brought before them: those who are putting profit before human lives”
Common Law public nuisance carries a theoretical maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but in the nearly 5 years since Insulate Britain took action this offence has been superseded with a statutory offence under s.78 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 where the maximum sentence is 10 years’ imprisonment.
In the 21 Insulate Britain jury trials for public nuisance charges to date, four trials have resulted in a hung jury, three trials have resulted in acquittals, thirteen have resulted in a guilty verdict and one has been deferred. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has applied for retrials in three cases where the jury failed to reach a majority verdict.
The CPS has chosen to summon a total of 56 supporters to answer at least 201 charges of public nuisance across some 45 jury trials, with trials planned up to October 2026, which will be five years after the actions took place. These trials have been heard across Inner London, Hove, Lewes, Reading and Woolwich Crown Courts.
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] Insulate Britain was right all along
https://unherd.com/newsroom/insulate-britain-was-right-all-along/
[3] Insulate Britain Didn’t Fail – We Did
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/opinion/elevenses/elevenses-insulate-britain-didnt-fail-we-did-311167/
[4] Insulate Britain defies injunction to block M25 for the sixth time
https://insulatebritain.com/2021/09/27/insulate-britain-defies-injunction-to-block-m25-for-the-sixth-time/
[5] We won’t stand by while the Government kills our kids
https://insulatebritain.com/2021/10/25/breaking-we-wont-stand-by-while-the-government-kills-our-kids/
[6] Judge Reid backs down..
https://insulatebritain.com/2023/05/19/judge-reid-backs-down-as-another-insulate-britain-supporter-defies-his-gagging-order-while-jury-fails-to-reach-a-verdict/