Sizewell blockaders again walk free from court / case dismissed
Posted by dv | 05.01.2011 11:05 | Anti-Nuclear | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Energy Crisis | Cambridge
Anti-nuclear campaigners again walk free from court / case dismissed
Two anti nuclear campaigners, Andreas Speck (46) from London and Ian Mills (45) from Chippenham, who appeared at Lowestoft Magistrates Court today (4 January) on charges of "failing to leave land" (S69(3)(a) CJPOA 1994) when they blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk on 22 February 2010 [1] walked free after the case was dismissed when the prosecution did not offer any evidence.
Report on the original action (Feb 2010):
Local Democracy Dumped! - Sizewell nuclear plant blockaded again
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/02/446513.html
Press Release (Tuesday 4 January 2011):
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2011/01/anti-nuclear-campaigners-again-walk.html
See also:
Activists 2 - EDF 0
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/01/471549.html
Sizewell: Protesters walk free after CPS error
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/sizewell_protesters_walk_free_after_cps_error_1_766391
Two anti nuclear campaigners, Andreas Speck (46) from London and Ian Mills (45) from Chippenham, who appeared at Lowestoft Magistrates Court today (4 January) on charges of "failing to leave land" (S69(3)(a) CJPOA 1994) when they blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk on 22 February 2010 [1] walked free after the case was dismissed when the prosecution did not offer any evidence.
Report on the original action (Feb 2010):
Local Democracy Dumped! - Sizewell nuclear plant blockaded again
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/02/446513.html Press Release (Tuesday 4 January 2011):
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2011/01/anti-nuclear-campaigners-again-walk.html See also:
Activists 2 - EDF 0
https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2011/01/471549.html Sizewell: Protesters walk free after CPS error
http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/sizewell_protesters_walk_free_after_cps_error_1_766391
Sizewell blockade - Feb 2010 (Credit: M. Harrison)
Press Release (Tuesday 4 January 2011):
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2011/01/anti-nuclear-campaigners-again-walk.html
Anti-nuclear campaigners again walk free from court / case dismissed
Two anti nuclear campaigners, Andreas Speck (46) from London and Ian Mills (45) from Chippenham, who appeared at Lowestoft Magistrates Court today (4 January) on charges of "failing to leave land" (S69(3)(a) CJPOA 1994) when they blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk on 22 February 2010 [1] walked free after the case was dismissed when the prosecution did not offer any evidence.
The action in February 2010 included several local campaigners, including two of the ‘Sizewell Blockaders’ who where found not guilty of Aggravated Trespass in 2009.
After almost a year, and seven case management hearings, the prosecution applied for an amendment to the charge from S69 (failing to leave land after an order had been given by a senior police officer) to S68 (Aggravated Trespass), because the “wrong charge” was apparently a “computer error”. However, district judge Cooper rejected the change of charge, because it was “not the same misdoing” and “not in the interest of justice”.
After a ten minute adjournment, the prosecution returned and offered no evidence on the charge, so the case was dismissed.
Andreas Speck, a member of Kick Nuclear, the London group of the Stop Nuclear Power Network [2], says: "This outcome is obviously great news for us. But in any case – even a conviction would not have deterred us from taking more nonviolent action at Sizewell or other nuclear power stations, as we did at Hinkley Point in October 2010 [3]. Given the fanaticism of the government in going for new nuclear, nonviolent direct action will be an indispensible part of the repertoire of our resistance."
“In February 2010 we blockaded Sizewell to highlight the end of a flawed government consultation on nuclear. The current government is presently re-consulting in an equally flawed way. Nevertheless, it is still important that we make our voice heard, whether they want to hear it or not. I also urge everyone to respond to the consultation by 24 January, but also to take nonviolent action”, says Ian Mills.
The defendants had been on bail for almost a year.
The trial was originally listed for 4th, 5th, 10th, and 11th January 2011.
- Andreas Speck, 07580-320627
- Mell Harrison 07760161755
Email - network [at] stopnuclearpoweruk.net
Notes:
[1] For information on the action itself, see
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2010/02/local-democracy-dumped-sizewell-nuclear.html
[2] The Stop Nuclear Power Network is a UK-based non-hierarchical
grassroots network of groups and individuals campaigning and taking
nonviolent action against nuclear power and its expansion and supporting
sustainable alternatives. See http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net
[3] See: http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2010/10/press-release-anti-nuclear-campaigners.html
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2011/01/anti-nuclear-campaigners-again-walk.html Anti-nuclear campaigners again walk free from court / case dismissed
Two anti nuclear campaigners, Andreas Speck (46) from London and Ian Mills (45) from Chippenham, who appeared at Lowestoft Magistrates Court today (4 January) on charges of "failing to leave land" (S69(3)(a) CJPOA 1994) when they blockaded Sizewell nuclear power station in Suffolk on 22 February 2010 [1] walked free after the case was dismissed when the prosecution did not offer any evidence.
The action in February 2010 included several local campaigners, including two of the ‘Sizewell Blockaders’ who where found not guilty of Aggravated Trespass in 2009.
After almost a year, and seven case management hearings, the prosecution applied for an amendment to the charge from S69 (failing to leave land after an order had been given by a senior police officer) to S68 (Aggravated Trespass), because the “wrong charge” was apparently a “computer error”. However, district judge Cooper rejected the change of charge, because it was “not the same misdoing” and “not in the interest of justice”.
After a ten minute adjournment, the prosecution returned and offered no evidence on the charge, so the case was dismissed.
Andreas Speck, a member of Kick Nuclear, the London group of the Stop Nuclear Power Network [2], says: "This outcome is obviously great news for us. But in any case – even a conviction would not have deterred us from taking more nonviolent action at Sizewell or other nuclear power stations, as we did at Hinkley Point in October 2010 [3]. Given the fanaticism of the government in going for new nuclear, nonviolent direct action will be an indispensible part of the repertoire of our resistance."
“In February 2010 we blockaded Sizewell to highlight the end of a flawed government consultation on nuclear. The current government is presently re-consulting in an equally flawed way. Nevertheless, it is still important that we make our voice heard, whether they want to hear it or not. I also urge everyone to respond to the consultation by 24 January, but also to take nonviolent action”, says Ian Mills.
The defendants had been on bail for almost a year.
The trial was originally listed for 4th, 5th, 10th, and 11th January 2011.
- Andreas Speck, 07580-320627
- Mell Harrison 07760161755
Email - network [at] stopnuclearpoweruk.net
Notes:
[1] For information on the action itself, see
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2010/02/local-democracy-dumped-sizewell-nuclear.html [2] The Stop Nuclear Power Network is a UK-based non-hierarchical
grassroots network of groups and individuals campaigning and taking
nonviolent action against nuclear power and its expansion and supporting
sustainable alternatives. See
http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net [3] See:
http://stopnuclearpower.blogspot.com/2010/10/press-release-anti-nuclear-campaigners.html
Posted by dv
Homepage:
http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net
Comments
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Letter to EADT reporter about Sizewell trial article
05.01.2011 20:15
Thank you for your article about the trial of the Sizewell protesters:
However, I notice a bit of pro-nuclear bias in your report:
"After the case both men pledged to continue their fight against a government drive to build nuclear power plants to help combat climate change and provide low carbon energy."
But more worringly, I notice a total lack of any discussion about the problems with nuclear power and the reasons for the blockade, e.g.:
- The democratic deficit in the way the Government is trying to push through a new generation of nuclear reactors.
- The fact that the spent fuel will have to be stored on site for 100 years or more, and will be more radioactive than existing waste
- The effect of coastal flooding, more likely with climate change
- The £70bn+ clean up cost for existing nuclear reactors in the UK
- The lack of any long term disposal facility for high level radioactive waste anywhere in the world
- The catastrophic effects of uranium mining on indigenous communities around the world
- The higher risk of leukaemia and solid cancers in children living within at least 5km of nuclear power plants (see KiKK study)
- The security and terrorism risks of nuclear power
plants, increased availability of fissile materials and more nuclear transports around the world
- The greater risk of proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear war due to the global spread of dual use nuclear technology around the world, being pushed by British politicians and royalty, and British companies like Rolls Royce
- The fact that no nuclear reactor has even been built anywhere in the world without massive public subsidy
- The serious safety problems that have been identified with the EPR reactor design, which EDF wants to build at Sizewell
- The massive cost and time over-runs on existing EPR construction in Finland and France
- The ecological devastation and conservation concerns surrounding EDF's planned developments at Sizewell, Hinkley Point and elsewhere.
- The fact that carbon emissions from the whole nuclear cycle have been averaged at 66g CO2 equiv. / kWh, which is much higher than every renewable technology, in a
study of over 100 studies by Benjamin Sovacool in 2008 in his article for Energy Policy
The list goes on and on and on, yet I can't find discussion or even mention of ANY of these issues in your report. You can find more information about some of the issues here:
Here's hoping your next article on this subject will be more informative.
Best wishes,
dv
(in personal capacity)
dv
e-mail:
vd2012-imc [at] yahoo.co.uk
Homepage:
http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net