More than 1,000 prominent lawyers, academics and celebrities have demanded a meeting with the attorney general over the 'injustice' of handing five eco-activists with record sentences.
The Just Stop Oil protestors, including co-founder Roger Hallam, were jailed for a combined 21 years over a stunt that disrupted London's M25 motorway for four days in 2022.
Prosecutors said the protests, which involved a total 45 activists, caused an economic hit of at least £765,000 and cost the Metropolitan Police more than £1.1million. The mob also caused a staggering 50,000 hours of vehicle delays affecting more than 700,000 vehicles, it was claimed, and left the M25 'compromised' for more than 120 hours.
Hallam, 58, received a five-year prison term for organising the stunt, while Daniel Shaw, 38, Lucia Whittaker de Abreu, 35, Louise Lancaster, 58, and Cressida Gethin, 22, were each sentenced to four years for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.
These sentences, handed down by Judge Christopher Hehir at Southwark Crown Court, surpass those given to JSO members who climbed the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in October 2022.
The United Nations human rights commissioner labelled the sentences as 'deeply troubling' and 'disproportionate'. TV naturalist Chris Packham described the sentences as a 'grotesque miscarriage of justice'.
The letter argued that the activists were not allowed to explain their actions to a jury, undermining their right to a fair trial. The activists, it claims, were performing a vital service by raising awareness of the climate crisis.
Judge Hehir blasted the 'fanatic' eco-activists when sentencing, saying: 'You have appointed yourselves as the sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change, bound neither by the principles of democracy nor the rule of law. Your fanaticism has made you heedless of the rights of your fellow citizens.'
