14 December 2010

All 20 defendants are found guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Trespass at Ratcliffe-on_Soar Power Station in April 2009.

They are required to come back to court at 12noon on Friday for sentencing.

All in Nottingham Crown Court again at 10am Tuesday.  After the His Honour Judge Teare made his directions, the jury were first sent out on Friday.  They came back to court a couple of times to ask questions. After the weekend, they came back yesterday [Monday] to continue their deliberations.  Again a couple more questions, but it was becoming clear that they were quite divided. At 3.40pm yesterday, they were looking a bit tired and sent a note to the Judge, asking if they could go home for the day. They had been considering their verdict for 10 hours up to then. The Judge then told them that when they came back today ... he would except a majority verdict.

Today [Tuesday], they retired again at 10.13am.  At 11.10am they returned after a total of 11.07hours.

The clerk read out the indictment:

20x names. are charged as follows, That they:

Conspired to Commit Aggravated Trespass, Contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Verdict - GUILTY. [for all the defendants]

Strangely, the verdict was unanimous, when you consider that the judge had said he would accept a majority after their earlier difficulty in reaching a decision.

The Judge said that he was not going to hand down prison sentences now.  However, after hearing of some that had previous convictions he said he may be considering suspended sentences for those. Others were of previous 'good character' might be receiving community punishment order, to do unpaid work. He went on, that this trial had cost the country a vast amount of money.  As their actions have been found to have been unnecessary, then I don't see why they can't contribute.

All are required to return to court at 12noon on Friday 17th December.

Personally. I don't think that their case could have been better expressed.  Having sat through the whole case, I was privileged in hearing the expert evidence that was of some substance and alarming. If the jury can't see that urgency of a need for action, then I am of course pessimistic in how on earth we are going to convince the wider public of the need for action.

Perhaps we are all doomed :-(

I have added my best wishes to all the defendants throughout the progress of this case. As it turns out ... fuck all use my good wishes were. I am sad for the defendants in loosing and being found guilty, but I am also sad for my own health and everybody else’s. If people are deterred from taking more direct action on these issues, nothing else substantial is going on.  As the recent events at the Cancún climate summit in Mexico have clearly demonstrated, if we leave it up to companies and politicians to act, then we will be waiting a very long time. Certainly past the tipping points we heard so much about. Beyond which we might not be able to do very much about our demise.

Will the last one alive on the planet, kindly turn the lights out!

Statement from the Defendants
http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/statement-from-the-defendants

Press Release
http://ratcliffeontrial.org/2010/12/press-release-activists-found-guilty-in-ratcliffe-coal-climate-trial

Ratcliffe on Trial Blog
http://ratcliffeontrial.org


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Indymedia daily coverage of the progress of this trial:

Ratcliffe Trial: Nottingham Crown Court November 2010

2009 Nottingham Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid in Nottingham
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427471.html
http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/427496.html

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Conspiracy Trial Begins [Feature]
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/701

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe conspiracy to trespass trial opens today
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/693

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 2 - Prosecution’s Opening 
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/702

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 3 - Prosecution case continues
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/710

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial: Prosecution Opens [Feature 2]
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/714

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 4 - Prosecution case concludes
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/716

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 5 – Defence case opens
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/735

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 6 – The Defence Continues
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/744

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 7  ‘Snowed off’

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 8 – Defence Calls MP's
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/765

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 9 – Defence Calls More Experts
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/786

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 10 – Defence Calls more Defendants
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/788

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 11 - Defence Concludes its Case
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/789

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 12 – Concluding Speeches
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/796

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 13 – Final bits & Jury Retires 
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/799

2010 Nottingham Activist Speech On The Ratcliffe Trials
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/videos/798

2010 Nottingham Ratcliffe Trial Day 14 – Jury Still Retired
http://notts.indymedia.org.uk/articles/809

____________________________________________
ALAN LODGE
Photographer - Media: One Eye on the Road. Nottingham.  UK
Email:                 tash@indymedia.org
Web:                   http://digitaljournalist.eu
Member of the National Union of Journalists [NUJ]
____________________________________________
"It is not enough to curse the darkness.
                                   It is also necessary to light a lamp!!"
___________________________________________
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