Eco gang’s trial axed ... as PC is on holiday
A TRIAL of five Extinction Rebellion climate activists collapsed yesterday because a police witness was not given enough notice and was on holiday.
The protesters were accused of gluing themselves to the concourse between London City Airport and its DLR station in October and were due to go on trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court.
But the charges were dismissed following the witness scheduling mix-up as the judge said the absent arresting police officer had been required from the outset.
Tony Blair’s former chief scientist Sir David King had been due to give evidence on behalf of the activists.
Deputy district judge Vincent McDade described yesterday’s blunder as an ‘abject failure by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure this case has been properly managed’. ‘Had the CPS acted efficiently and warned the witness as soon as possible after the case management hearing on November 7 this matter would proceed today with that witness giving live evidence,’ he said.
The judge then concluded he had ‘no option but to dismiss all against all defendants’. The five defendants who faced a charge of aggravated trespass were Claudia Fisher, 57, and Phoebe Valentine, 23, both from Brighton, David Lambert, 60, and Senan Clifford, 59, both from Gloucestershire, and John Burrage, 42, from West Wales.
The CPS apologised for its error. A spokesman said: ‘We accept an error was made in not warning the witness sooner which meant the trial could not proceed.
After the charges were dismissed, Mrs Fisher said she planned to continue her activism. ‘This movement is going bigger and bigger. It’s unstoppable,’ she said.
Sir David posed with the activmatters ists in the case outside the court. He warned that climate change was ‘the most important issue humanity has ever had to face up to’.
The scientist praised Extinction Rebellion for getting climate change ‘back on the front pages’. He added: ‘Whatever we do over the next ten years... will determine the future of humanity.’