Four Just Stop Oil protestors have been sentenced for blocking a major London thoroughfare.
Ishani Milward-Bose, Daniel Wills, Anthony Bradley and Alice Brown were previously convicted of interference with key national infrastructure.
They were sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, 6th January 2025.
Interference with key national infrastructure is an offence under section 7(1) of the Public Order Act 2023. The offence, which is triable either way, has a maximum sentence of 12 months' custody on summary conviction (and the same on conviction on indictment).
The court heard that the group blocked the A41 Hendon Way during rush hour on the morning of Monday, 13th November 2023.
The three-hour protest disrupted the journeys of thousands of motorists.
Jessica Atkinson, mitigating, said: "The defendants are no longer involved in Just Stop Oil, have accepted early responsibility for their action and indicated they do not intend to do this again.
"These are four productive members of society.
"These defendants are otherwise law-abiding citizens with very promising futures."
That's an entirely subjective view.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring, sentencing, told the quartet that their actions were "relatively sophisticated and pre-planned... causing significant harm and inconvenience".
However, he tempered his remarks with: "I am clear there is no public interest in sending you to prison today, or suspending such a sentence."
Each defendant was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 120 hours' unpaid work requirement.
They were also ordered to pay a surcharge of £114 and prosecution costs of £85.
Elsewhere in Just Stop Oil land the show trial of Phoebe Plummer and Jane Touil gets underway at Isleworth Crown Court. It's a show trial in the sense that neither denies causing the damage in question, nor do they have a plausible substantive defence, but they're hoping they can tug on the environmental heart strings of jury members.
The pair are accused of causing £50,000 worth of criminal damage at Heathrow Airport. You can read about their alleged antics in my earlier article.
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