Police fear Just Stop Oil jail sentences will spark more protests

The record term for Roger Hallam could serve as a ‘rallying call’, says the detective who led the investigation into his plot to bring the M25 to a standstill

The image shows an older man with graying hair and a beard, smiling broadly at the camera. He's wearing a dark navy hooded jacket or coat. The photo appears to be taken outdoors with a blurred background. His expression is cheerful and animated, with visible laugh lines around his eyes. — Roger Hallam was jailed for five years for orchestrating the M25 protests in 2022. It is thought to be the longest ever sentence to be handed down for peaceful protest

The record jail sentence for the co-founder of Just Stop Oil could serve as a "rallying call" to other climate activists for a wave of protests, police believe.

Roger Hallam, 58, was jailed for five years on Thursday for orchestrating protests that disrupted the M25 over four days in November 2022 when 45 protesters climbed gantries on various parts of the motorway, forcing police to stop traffic.

Daniel Shaw, 38, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, Louise Lancaster, 58, and Cressida Gethin, 22, were each given four years after being found guilty along with Hallam of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance.

The sentences, handed down by Judge Christopher Hehir, are thought to be the longest ever given for peaceful protest and have been widely criticised.

Detective Inspector Chris Rudd, who led the investigation, said there were "certainly signals from the [activist] groups" that they intended to stage a protest in retaliation to the sentences.

He told The Times: "The judge commented upon sentencing that he hoped it may have some deterrent effect on others that wanted to cause serious disruption to members of the public. I do hope it does have some deterrent effect. But for some, it might be a rallying call."

Five people stand together with arms around each other's shoulders, smiling at the camera in front of a stone church building with flint walls. From left to right: a woman in a floral dress, a young woman in a blue plaid shirt, an older woman with gray curly hair, a man in a dark polo shirt, and an older bearded man in a red plaid shirt holding a walking stick. — The sentences handed down to Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Cressida Gethin, Louise Lancaster, Daniel Shaw and Hallam have been widely criticised

The five Just Stop Oil activists were recorded by an undercover reporter for The Sun during a Zoom call in which they discussed the planned protests and were aiming to recruit others.

Rudd said the protesters were known to police before the covert recording. "The call contained compelling evidence of them engaging in a plan to conduct what is criminal activity. They wanted to cause absolute gridlock and chaos."

The court was told that the M25 protests delayed more than 700,000 vehicles and caused economic damage of £765,000, and the cost to the Met was more than £1.1 million.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton, the former justice secretary, said the sentences make him feel "very uncomfortable," noting "these are people who are not violent criminals."

The image shows a crowded street scene outside Southwark Crown Court with a white prison van surrounded by numerous police officers in high-visibility uniforms. Large crowds of protesters and onlookers fill the street, holding signs and phones. The scene is set between brick Victorian buildings under a partly cloudy sky, capturing the moment activists demonstrated as defendants were transported from court. — Activists protested as the defendants were driven from Southwark crown court in a prison van on Thursday