Climate group guilty after F1 GP protest

JURY DECIDES CAMPAIGNERS WHO SAT ON SILVERSTONE TRACK RISKED SERIOUS HARM TO DRIVERS, MARSHALS & THEMSELVES

- DAMON WILKINSON, MATTHEW COOPER

TWO climate change protesters from Greater Manchester have been found guilty of risking serious harm’ to F1 drivers by running onto the Silverstone track at the British Grand Prix.

Louis McKechnie, from Manchester, and Joshua Smith, from Lees, Oldham, were among a group of six Just Stop Oil demonstrators who invaded the track just after the start of last July’s race.

Jurors at Northampton Crown Court convicted the four men and two women of causing a public nuisance after being shown footage of five of them sitting on and being dragged off the circuit at Silverstone as two FI cars passed close by.

Alasdair Gibson and Louis McKechnie, both 22; Bethany Mogie, 40; David Baldwin, 47; Emily Brocklebank, 24; and 29-year-old Joshua Smith all claimed the protest did not risk serious harm.

All six defendants gave evidence at their trial, claiming the protest, which started after a red flag was signalled to halt the race, had followed a meticulous’ safety plan.

Jurors deliberated over three days before returning guilty verdicts on the activists, whom the Crown said had clearly caused an immediate risk of serious harm by sitting in the face’ of fast-moving vehicles.