Not Guilty! Jurors Find Excuse for Greenpeace Activists

In a ground breaking court case, Greenpeace activists have successfully defended themselves against allegations of criminal damage amounting to £30,000, during a protest at the Kingsnorth power station owned by E.ON, in October last year.

Yesterday afternoon, jurors at Maidstone Crown Court decided that the accused, Huw Williams, 41, Ben Stewart, 34, Will Rose, 29, Kevin Drake, 44, and New Zealand native Emily Hall aged 34, were all found not guilty.

In his summing up the Judge, David Caddick, had urged jurors to consider if the defendants’ actions had any valid legal excuse.

The jury seemed to take the hint and found by a 10 to 2 majority that they did have a legal excuse for their actions.

The costly nine day trial has set off alarm bells at E.ON and many other similar companies, who believe that this ruling now gives cart blanche to any group who wants to invade and occupy any facility that they see as a danger to the environment.

The activists had climbed a tall chimney at the plant with the intention of painting the words ‘GORDON BIN IT’ down its length.

Then in a bizarre twist they were served with an High Court injunction via police helicopter, restraining them from finishing their artwork that had only managed to reach the word GORDON.

Yesterday, through the company’s press officer, E.ON said that they had no objection to legal protests and in fact were equally as concerned about the environment as Greenpeace are.