Six Just Stop Oil activists get sentence cuts after Court of Appeal showdown
Activists sentenced for high-profile protests
Six climate radicals have scored reduced jail sentences after being locked up for their roles in Just Stop Oil (JSO) stunts last year. They were among 16 activists sentenced for disruptive protests from August to November 2022. These high-impact demos included:
- Clambering onto gantries above the M25, snarling up traffic for four straight days.
- Throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s priceless Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery.
Appeal court trims some sentences, rejects others
On Friday 7 March 2025, a panel featuring Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, Mr Justice Lavender, and Mr Justice Griffiths cut the sentences of six protesters, calling the original punishment “manifestly excessive.” Meanwhile, 10 appeals were firmly dismissed.
Who got their sentences chopped?
- Louis Hallam: M25 protest organiser, knocked from 5 years to 4 years inside.
- Daniel Shaw and Louise Lancaster: Sentences slashed from 4 years to 3 years.
- Lucia Whittaker De Abreu and Cressida Gethin: Dropped from 4 years to 30 months.
- Gaie Delap: M25 gantry climber, cut from 20 months to 18 months.
Who’s still behind bars?
- George Simonson, Theresa Higginson, Paul Bell, Paul Sousek: 20 months to 2 years for M25 gantry antics.
- Larch Maxey, Chris Bennett, Samuel Johnson, Joe Howlett: Up to 3 years for occupying tunnels near Navigator Oil Terminal, Thurrock.
- Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland: 2 years and 20 months for the infamous tomato soup attack on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
Protesters slam ruling in courtroom drama
As Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr delivered the verdict, some activists turned their backs in defiance, sporting T-shirts emblazoned with “Corruption in Court”.
The ruling is a mixed bag for JSO campaigners: some get reduced time, others must serve their full terms. The group has stayed silent on the decision so far.
Stay tuned for more updates as this high-profile legal battle unfolds.
