Just Stop Oil Climbers Found Guilty After Causing M25 Chaos
Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, used ropes and climbing gear to scale the cables of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Prosecutor Adam King revealed they reached about 200 feet above the road before unfurling a massive Just Stop Oil banner and rigging hammocks to stay put.
Bridge Shut for Nearly Two Days, Chaos Ensues
The vital bridge linking the M25 in Essex and Kent was shut from 4 a.m. on October 17 until 9 p.m. the next day. This closure caused gridlock for miles around for that entire period, which we say was the point,” Mr King told Basildon Crown Court.
The stunt made national headlines. Small businesses reportedly lost hundreds of thousands of pounds, mourners missed funerals, and children were stranded waiting for buses, the prosecutor added.
Police Rescue, But Disruption Lingers
The activists were finally removed around 5.30 p.m. on October 18 with help from police and a tall cherry picker crane. However, the bridge didn’t reopen to traffic immediately. Both men denied causing public nuisance but were unanimously found guilty after two hours of jury deliberation.
Sentencing Looms as Government Cracks Down
Judge Shane Collery KC remanded the pair in custody ahead of their sentencing on April 13. “This court is considering custodial sentences,” he warned. “We’re dealing with significant nuisance that’s been caused.”
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted his support: “The right to protest must not take precedence over the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their daily lives free of selfish and antisocial disruption. We are putting a stop to these guerilla tactics that are causing misery for the majority.”
Just Stop Oil Reacts: ‘Disappointing Verdict’
Outside court, Sean Irish from Just Stop Oil called the verdict “quite disappointing.”
We’ve seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on conscience; whether they were aware of that or not, it’s disappointing to see them return with a guilty verdict.
“The climate crisis is far more terrifying than the prospect of jail. Young people aren’t going to die for the profits of an oil baron. We’re not going down easily, we’re going to fight back.”
“The more the government cracks down on peaceful protests, the more dangerous the government becomes.”
