Two Insulate Britain protesters jailed for contempt of court

Two Insulate Britain protesters are jailed for contempt of court after they defied a judge’s orders not to refer to the climate crisis as a motivation during their trial for blocking traffic in the City of London

• Giovanna Lewis, 65, and Amy Pritchard, 37, were today jailed for seven weeks 
• They glued themselves to road in October 2021, disturbing rush hour traffic

Two protestors have been jailed for contempt of court after they defied an order not to refer to climate change as their motivation for blocking traffic in the City of London.

Dorset councillor Giovanna Lewis, 65, and horticultural worker Amy Pritchard, 37, along with screenwriter Paul Sheeky, 46, glued themselves to the road between Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street in October 2021.

Lewis and Pritchard were jailed for seven weeks after they ignored the order issued by Judge Silas Reid during their trial at Inner London crown court.

Last month another Insulate Britain protester David Nixon was given an eight week prison sentence, also for defying Judge Reid’s orders.

Judge Reid said the trial was not about climate change, but whether the protesters caused a public nuisance.

Insulate Britain activists Amy Pritchard, 37, and Giovanna Lewis, 65, outside Inner London Crown Court today

Lewis and Pritchard were among activists (pictured) who glued themselves to the road between Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street in October 2021

Policemen carry an Insulate Britain activist during the protest on October 25 2021

But Lewis was unrepentant and told the court today: ‘I continue to be astonished that in a British court of law a judge can or would want to ban or criminalize the mention of the words “fuel poverty” or “climate crisis”.

‘There are thousands of deaths every year in the UK from fuel poverty, and thousands of deaths around the world due to climate change. There is no choice but to give voice to truth and to not be silenced.

‘I always believed that courts and judges would encourage this truth. I now see how naïve I have been.’

Pritchard said: ‘History shows that the law is not always in line with justice. I cannot and will not follow your rulings.

‘Possibly billions of people in tropical parts of the world will be unable to live in those places during my lifetime.

‘We are turning these parts of the world into sacrifice zones. We are staring total ecosystem collapse in the face.

‘Lack of political action means that ordinary people have to act. I don’t understand why there is no urgency from those in power.’

Referring to the judge she added: ‘And I include you in that.’

Last month another Insulate Britain protester David Nixon (pictured) was given an eight week prison sentence, also for defying Judge Reid’s orders

Lewis, Pritchard and Sheeky were among 25 arrested after the protest in October 2021 (pictured) while experts had to clear solvents from the streets that had been used to remove superglue

Jailing the two protesters Judge Reid said: ‘You each breached my rulings in your closing addresses to the jury.

‘You have each been given the opportunity to apologise. Neither of you took that opportunity.

‘My ruling was made because there was no relevance to the matters that the jury needed to decide.

‘The public have rights as well as protesters. ‘You each had disdain for the judicial process.’

Lewis, from Portland, Pritchard, of Walthamstow, east London and Sheeky, of Warrington, all denied causing a public nuisance.

Jurors trying the three Insulate Britain protestors at Inner London crown court were unable to reach a verdict and the judge blamed the defendants.

He told them: ‘You really went on until there was no chance of reaching a verdict.’

The prosecution will announce whether there will be a retrial on March 31.

The three were part of a large group of Insulate Britain protestors who glued themselves to the road, bringing rush hour traffic to a standstill on October 25 2021.

Lewis, Pritchard and Sheeky were among 25 arrested while experts had to clear solvents from the streets that had been used to remove superglue.

Judge Reid had ruled that the defendants could not refer to climate change as their motivation for blocking the road in their defence.

He said it was ‘not a trial about climate change or fuel poverty’.

In his closing speech to the jury, Sheeky had tried to defend the public nuisance charge in accordance with the judge’s order.

He said: ‘There is no real evidence being presented of someone being stuck in traffic for 40 minutes, if there was and they were so annoyed by this why haven’t they come forward to give evidence?

‘I was out of the road by 8:49 am the road was fully clear by 8:55. According to TFL the incident was not yet severe… no buses had to be diverted.

‘So, what stopped [the road] being open?… A police van, they could have parked in numerous places without blocking the road.

Police officers detain an ‘Insulate Britain’ protester who was part of the demonstration blocking Upper Thames Street

Insulate Britain protestors block London’s Liverpool Street as part of their demonstration

‘Remember this was October 2021 when things were still not back to ‘business as usual’ due to covid 19 pandemic… more people were working from home and less taking public transport.

‘Even if 5,6, or 7,000 people were affected that is still 0.1 per cent of the population of London.

’20 minutes out of the 960 minutes [we are awake] in the day is only 2.08 per cent of the day.

‘I was there to get dramatic attention from the media and as a screenwriter I knew that would mean creating a dramatic situation.’

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