legal
Posted by jossc — 11 September 2008 at 1:28pm
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![Emily Hall prepares to send a message to the government Emily Hall prepares to send a message to the government](../../files/images/climate/coal/kingsnorth_climer430.jpg)
Hats off to the Kingsnorth Six for having the courage to risk prison to hold the government's misguided energy policy to account. The fact that Gordon Brown and co are planning to ramp up Britain's consumption of coal (the most climate damaging fossil fuel) had gone largely unnoticed by our mainstream media until yesterday's successful trial result. Not any more!
Last edited 11 September 2008 at 9:49am
Verdict marks a 'tipping point' for climate change movement
Ministers suffered a blow to their energy plans today as six Greenpeace volunteers were acquitted of criminal damage by a Crown Court jury in a case that centred on the contribution made to climate change by burning coal.
Posted by bex — 10 September 2008 at 3:29pm
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The Greenpeace activists who closed down Kingsnorth coal-fired power station
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It's been a pretty unusual ten days but today has been truly extraordinary. At 3.20pm, the jury came back into court and announced a majority verdict of not guilty! All six defendants - Kevin, Emily, Tim, Will, Ben and Huw - were acquitted of criminal damage.
To recap on how important this verdict is: the defendants campaigners were accused of causing £30,000 of criminal damage to Kingsnorth smokestack from painting. The defence was that they had 'lawful excuse' - because they were acting to protect property around the world "in immediate need of protection" from the impacts of climate change, caused in part by burning coal.
Posted by bex — 9 September 2008 at 5:34pm
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A relatively short blog today (I thought you deserved it after yesterday's dissertation).
The judge finished summing up before lunch and, at 12.50pm, the jury retired to consider the verdict. By the end of the day, after a fair bit of pacing and nail biting in the defendants' camp, the jury said they hadn't yet been able to reach a unanimous verdict. So the trial - and the slightly frayed nerves - continue into Wednesday.
Posted by bex — 8 September 2008 at 5:56pm
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![The Kingsnorth Six outside Maidstone Crown Court The Kingsnorth Six outside Maidstone Crown Court](../../files/images/climate/events/kingsnorth_trial/trial-defendents.jpg)
The Kingsnorth Six outside Maidstone Crown Court © Rezac/Greenpeace
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Things are getting really interesting; the end of the trial is probably close (it looks as though the jury will be sent out to decide their verdict at 11.30 on Tuesday), we've seen the summing up from both the defence and the prosecution, there's been laughter and a few tears and, again, I'm going to struggle to get all my notes into a blog-sized piece.
First up was a statement (originally due on Friday) from Aqqaluk Lynge, an Inuit leader personally responsible for addressing damage to property in Greenland as a result of climate change. There's a lot of it for him to address:
Posted by bex — 5 September 2008 at 2:20pm
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The Kingsnorth Six outside Maidstone Crown Court © Rezac/Greenpeace
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We were expecting to hear evidence from Inuit leader Aqqaluk Lynge today but, because a juror fell ill, that's been postponed until Monday. Instead, the court held a legal discussion, none of which I can write about.
We're tentatively expecting a verdict early next week but, of course, nobody really knows. At the moment though, we're on the train back to London; the defendants are tired but in good spirits, and looking forward to a short window of normality before the case resumes next week. More on Monday.
Posted by bex — 3 September 2008 at 10:45pm
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James Hansen in conversation outside Maidstone Crown Court © Rezac/Greenpeace
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This is a difficult blog to write - mostly because I'm not sure what to leave out. Today, at the Kingsnorth trial, the world's leading climate scientist told the court that emissions from Kingsnorth led to damage to property worldwide, as well as the extinction of species and the creation of climate change refugees. Gordon Brown, he said, should announce a moratorium on all new coal plants without carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Another witness - an authority on climate change impacts in the UK - said all citizens and governments needed to "act with urgency". And two of the defendants, Emily and Kevin, gave impressive testimonies about why they took the action they did. And there's nowhere near enough space to write about it all.
Posted by bex — 2 September 2008 at 10:05pm
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Defendent Ben Stewart
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It's hard to say whether there were more or fewer nerves on the way to court today. On the one hand all the defendants now feel - visibly - more comfortable with the court surroundings than they were at the start of the proceedings yesterday.
On the other hand, today was the day some of them were going to take the stand for the first time. Either way, listening to the Star Wars theme tune blaring over the radio as we made our way to Maidstone in the minibus could only be a good thing for morale.
We filed into the court room at around 11am. By 11.30 - after circulating some documents to the jurors - the prosecution had closed; it was the turn of the defence.
The defendant's QC, Michael Wolkind, is a pleasure to watch at work. He started by introducing six "of the nicest people... accused of saving the planet".
Posted by bex — 2 September 2008 at 1:58pm
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Just a quick blog to break the news: the world's leading climate scientist, Professor James Hansen - a director of NASA - is going to appear tomorrow afternoon as a defence witness in the Kingsnorth trial.
Professor Hansen is Al Gore's science adviser and a former adviser to the White House on climate change. I'll be reporting on his statement to the court tomorrow.
Posted by bex — 1 September 2008 at 8:38pm
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![No new coal](../../files/images/climate/bad%20energy/nonewcoal.jpg)
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This morning, the Kingsnorth Six - plus a few hangers on like myself - made their way from a rural Kent retreat to Maidstone Crown Court for the start of the Kingsnorth trial.
I've spent the day watching the proceedings from the public gallery. (It's my first time in a Crown Court and I'm pleased to report that it's all true: the court really does all rise, there are curly wigs, and barristers really do look up the finer points of law in thick legal compendia.)
Actually, the whole experience is fascinating; the careful negotiations, the nuances of argument and the hints of theatricality have all left me a little agog. And having a friend's-eye view of the defendants and their motives makes it pretty poignant too.