Priests cleared in XR stunt after citing faith

Government urged to look at law that allows people to plead not guilty but make no effort to deny offences

TWO priests were yesterday acquitted of blocking a train in an Extinction Rebellion (XR) stunt after telling jurors the protest was motivated by their faith, prompting calls for urgent legal reform.

The Rev Sue Parfitt, 79, and Fr Martin Newell, 54, were among three defendants found not guilty of obstructing the railway after bringing Shadwell station in east London to a standstill in 2019.

It is the latest in a series of trials involving activists that have ended with juries clearing them of all charges, even though the defendants made no effort to deny their actions. A group of protesters dubbed the “Colston Four” were acquitted last week of criminal damage for toppling a statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader, in Bristol in 2020.

Yesterday’s verdict at Inner London Crown Court came after Ms Parfitt, of Bristol, and Mr Newell, of Birmingham, had pleaded not guilty to the charge and told the court that their religious beliefs had inspired them to act. The pair used a ladder to climb on the roof of a Docklands Light Railway carriage as the third defendant, Philip Kingston, 85, superglued himself to its side, disrupting rush-hour trains for 77 minutes.

Mr Newell, a Roman Catholic priest who belongs to the Passionist order, said his “deepest motivation” was his Christian faith, while Ms Parfitt, a retired Anglican vicar licensed by the Diocese of Bristol, told the court: “I did it because I feel truly called by God to do all that I can to avert the catastrophe that’s on its way to his whole creation.”

The Bishop of Bristol, the Rt Rev Vivienne Faull, said: “I understand that the Rev Sue Parfitt, who has permission to officiate in the Diocese of Bristol, has been acquitted.

“Sue has been in regular contact with me as she is obliged to under the Clergy Discipline Measure. Her well-being remains of paramount concern to me.

“There is a long history of protest, including civil disobedience, within the Church. This will always be controversial and there will always be a wide range of opinions and emotions.

“I know Sue has acted in good conscience throughout. I share her conviction that the world is facing a climate and ecological crisis and that we are not yet moving fast enough to tackle it.”

John Hayes, the former security minister, urged the Government to look at the law that allowed people to plead not guilty even though they did not deny the offence, describing them as “not only extremists but also hypocrites”.

The outcome was last night described as “perverse” and led to calls for Suella Braverman, the Attorney General, to review the law. Sir Mike Penning, a former justice and policing minister, said it would be “absolutely right” for legislation to be revisited.

Ms Braverman is considering asking the Court of Appeal to review the Colston Four case amid fears that the case could set a legal precedent for protests that cause criminal damage.

Sir Mike added that the latest acquittal made the need for a review of the law critical and insisted that such a process was not about overturning a jury’s decision, but about clarifying the law.

“The [Attorney General] is absolutely right to look at the law where it allows the defence to come up with completely perverse arguments,” he said. “You cannot overturn a ‘not guilty’ verdict – but you can make it very difficult for people who have plainly done wrong to simultaneously plead not guilty.”

Dr Gavin Ashenden, a former Chaplain to the Queen who converted to Catholicism in 2019 over the Church of England’s approach to the “culture wars”, said: “The descent into political activism is really problematic. Clergy are meant to be approachable and accessible.”

The Diocese of Bristol has been approached for comment.