Bank protest’s £100k damage

CLIMATE protesters including two from Dorset caused almost £100,000-worth of damage after smashing glass windows during a demonstration at the headquarters of Barclays bank, a court has heard.

Carol Wood, 53, Nicola Stickells, 52, Sophie Cowen, 31, Lucy Porter, 48, Gabriella Ditton, 28, Rosemary Webster, 64, and Zoe Cohen, 52, are all accused of causing criminal damage during the protest in April last year. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard on Friday that the women’s actions were associated with climate change campaigners Extinction Rebellion (XR).

All the defendants, apart from Wood and Stickells, are representing themselves in the case.

The seven women are said to have travelled to Barclays headquarters in Canary Wharf, east London, at around 7am on April 7, 2021.

They spread out along the front of the building before using chisels and hammers to break the large glass panels that made up the exterior of the bank, the court heard.

Jurors were told the group also stuck leaflets on the windows that said “In case of climate emergency, break glass”.

The women then sat in a line on the street as members of the press videoed and photographed them, jurors heard.

Police attended the scene and arrested them on suspicion of criminal damage.

Prosecutor Diana Wilson said: “It is clear they went to the building with the common purpose of committing criminal damage.”

CCTV of the incident was played in court.

Jurors watched footage of windows being smashed at the bank by protesters, with signs on their backs that read “Better broken windows than broken promises”.

The footage also showed the word “LOVE” penned in marker on one of the hammers.

Barclays security guard Gary Roper told the court in a witness statement that he radioed the control room after first spotting the group, as he thought their behaviour was “suspicious”.

He said that one female told him after the incident: “It’s not against you, Gary. It’s against the bank. Sorry.”

Wood, of Swansea, Stickells, of Harleston, Cowen, of Shaftesbury, Porter, of Euston, central London, Ditton, of Norwich, Webster, of Dorchester, and Cohen, of Lymm, all deny criminal damage.

Jurors went on to watch footage of the group’s arrests.

Filmed on police body-worn cameras, Ditton asked her arresting officer: “Are you sure you want to arrest us and not the people in this building?”

The footage also showed Stickells telling police that there were “criminals” inside the Barclays building “causing damage and suffering”.

Jurors heard that during a police interview following her arrest, Stickells said: “The climate crisis is unfolding in front of us. Millions if not billions of people are going to die.”

At the back of the courtroom she nodded and wiped her eyes as her words were read aloud.

Three hammers, seized by police at the scene, were produced in court.

Webster asked for hers specifically to be handed to the jury.

“It’s got ‘For my grandson’ written on there,” she said.

Cohen made the same request, adding she had written on her hammer: “Barclays are the real criminals.”

The trial continues