Fifteen Climate Protesters Have Charges Dropped At Court

Fifteen climate protesters arrested in a police operation costing millions of pounds today had all charges against them dropped in court.

The group from Reclaim the Power were arrested in August last year as they planned to hold a climate camp near Drax power station in Selby, North Yorkshire.

Police seized a wheelchair trackway, tents and cooking equipment when they made arrests for public order offences, including conspiracy to interfere with key national infrastructure.

Rosalind Monaghan, 23, from Leeds, and Philip Ball, 54, from Oxford, were members of group which had been due to hold a protest against the wood burning power station.

They instructed specialist protest solicitors from Hodge Jones & Allen to defend them at Leeds Magistrates Court.

Lawyers argued that there was no case to answer in relation to the charges. The prosecution did not oppose the submission and offered no evidence against all 15. As a result, not guilty verdicts will be recorded against all defendants.

Laura O’Brien, partner at Hodge Jones & Allen who represents Ms Monaghan and Mr Bell, said: “We understand that the police spent millions on the operation that led to the arrest of my clients and their co-defendants who were on their way to a peaceful protest camp as part of the Reclaim the Power campaign.

“There remain many questions as to why such a heavy-handed and extreme approach was taken to a planned peaceful protest camp. To try prosecute our clients without any evidence is an insult to the tax payers who fund our criminal justice system.

“It can be seen as nothing more than an attempt to deter a peaceful protest. At a time when victims of sexual assaults and violence are waiting years for justice because of an under-funded and under-resourced criminal justice system, dragging 15 people through the courts for simply having camping equipment is a shameful waste of public resources.

“Deterring peaceful protest through the threat of prosecution does nothing to serve this country and undermines the fundamental principles at the heart of our democracy.”

Reclaim the Power is a UK based action network fighting for social, environmental and economic justice.