The activists agreed to cause disruption to traffic by having protesters climb onto gantries over the motorway for four successive days in November 2022.
Roger Hallam, 58, co-founder of the group, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment while the other four defendants – Daniel Shaw, 38, Louise Lancaster, 58, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, and Cressida Gethin, 22 – were each handed four years’ imprisonment.
Prosecutors alleged the protests, which saw 45 people climb up the gantries, led to an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was more than £1.1m.
They allegedly caused more than 50,000 hours of vehicle delay, affecting more than 700,000 vehicles, and left the M25 “compromised” for more than 120 hours.
A police officer suffered concussion and bruising after being knocked off his motorbike in traffic caused by one of the protests on 9 November 2022, prosecutor Jocelyn Ledward KC said at the sentencing hearing at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 19, 2024-Ausgabe von The Independent.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Chinese airliner could be hypersonic... or just hype
Beijing says it’s building a passenger plane that will fly from London to New York in under two hours. Jonathan Margolis has seen China’s previous boasts, and he has serious doubts
Why I joined march to clean up Britain's polluted rivers
The River Irk was once renowned for the clarity of its water. The name denotes fresh, clean and pure in the ancient Brittonic language, previously spoken in northern England, while the Irk is also thought to refer to the fleet-footed Roebuck deer.
How Badenoch will use Tory template of another 'outsider'
The thing to understand about Kemi Badenoch is that, for all her manifest shortcomings, she is not stupid.
Verstappen's incredible win kills off Norris's title dream
Max Verstappen dealt a fatal blow to Lando Norris’s world championship hopes by racing from 17th on the grid to win a rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix in a performance for the ages.
How England squandered a golden opportunity... again
For England, it has become a familiar feeling. For the third time this year, Steve Borthwick’s side let a game slip from their grasp, squandering a golden opportunity to secure a rare win over the All Blacks as George Ford missed twice with his boot in the final minutes.
What crisis? Spurs shut out the noise to blow Villa away
A memorable second half from Tottenham Hotspur, borne out of a memorable message from Ange Postecoglou. “I keep saying to the players, if I was a racehorse, I’d have blinkers.”
Caicedo saves Chelsea as United hang on for draw
Ruud van Nistelrooy set off down the touchline in celebration, leaping as he punched the air.
Female student arrested in Iran for stripping in protest
An Iranian woman was arrested after reportedly stripping down to her undergarments to protest an alleged assault by security forces for not following strict hijab laws.
Pro-Western Moldova president wins second term
Moldova’s pro-western president Maia Sandu has won a second term in a pivotal presidential runoff against a Russia-friendly opponent, in a race overshadowed by claims of Russian interference, voter fraud and intimidation.
Trump criticises 'crooked' country in rambling speech
As Harris goes for Black vote ahead of polling day tomorrow
