Just Stop Oil Protesters Convicted Of Criminal Damage

Two Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters who sprayed planes with orange paint at Stansted have been convicted of criminal damage.

Jennifer Kowalski, 29, of Dumbarton in Scotland, and Cole Macdonald, 23, of Brighton, East Sussex, were convicted of criminal damage after they used fire extinguishers to spray the two aircraft at the airport in Essex in the early hours of 20 June last year.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard that the planes targeted by the duo included Taylor Swift’s private jet which had arrived in the UK as part of her Eras tour.

The pair, who are represented by specialist protest lawyers at Hodge Jones & Allen, entered the airfield by cutting through a fence with a circular saw, in a stunt later shared online by the group, the court heard.

They did not deny being involved but said they did not intend to cause damage or believe their actions would affect the planes’ value or use.

Laura O’Brien, partner at Hodge Jones & Allen who represents both defendants and was also the advocate for Jennifer Kowalski, said: “Both my clients simply wanted to spark debate around the climate crisis and had no intention of causing criminal damage or disrupting the airport.

“All they were trying to achieve was to get Taylor Swift to speak up about the climate crisis, to harness her celebrity to bring attention to the climate crisis and to highlight the singer’s frequent use of her private jet. It is surely time for the government to focus on the climate crisis that threatens our very existence rather than wasting taxpayers’ money prosecuting women involved in a peaceful act of protest and who are no threat to the public.”

The pair admitted to the court that they had targeted the US star’s private jet but said it was too far away from the perimeter for them to reach.

Ms Macdonald told the court: “The idea behind doing it round Taylor Swift was she’s very famous and her public jet usage has been very publicly criticised.”

CCTV footage shown to the court showed the defendants at just after 5am in dark clothing, carrying backpacks as they crossed grass and made their way onto the ramp where the aircraft were parked.

The video showed them producing fire extinguishers, running around a white jet and covering it in orange paint before moving to a second plane and spraying that too.

They then sat on the runway holding hands waiting for security to arrive.

Rebecca Martin at One Pump Court was the advocate for Ms MacDonald.

Ms Kowalski and Ms Macdonald await sentencing.