The Crown Prosecution Service announced today that it considered that it was not in the public interest to proceed with the prosecutions.

Farah Bishnani, Crispin Dowler, David Harbinson, Sarah McLaughlin and Carly North, all of Brighton, were charged under section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992 following a protest at the dock on 3rd December 2001. All the accused faced a maximum sentence of six months in jail if found guilty.

Anne Jones, Simon's mother and others were to give evidence at the trial about the appalling lack of safety at Euromin's dock. The protest that led to the charges being brought was an attempt to draw attention to this lack
of safety and force the relevant authorities to take action against Euromin.

Colin Chalmers of the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign says, "We're glad that the CPS has finally realised that the people protesting against this death trap of a dock aren't the criminals here. Dozens of firefighters recently
fought a major blaze at Euromin's dock, where, unlike all other docks at Shoreham, gates aren't locked, there are no security guards and there is nothing preventing small children form playing with heavy machinery. Our campaign will continue until the authorities wake up to what's going on here and shut this cowboy operation down."

Anne Jones, Simon's mother, said, "I'm very glad these charges have been dropped. There clearly isn't any public interest in prosecuting peaceful protesters in this way and it's good that the Crown Prosecution Service has now realised that."

Lydia Dagostino, the solicitor representing the five accused, said, "This is a small but important victory in an ongoing campaign against those who killed Simon Jones. This case highlights highlights that direct action and peaceful protest still have an important role to play in our society."