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| Power station protesters cleared | Power station protesters cleared |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Six Greenpeace activists have been found not guilty of causing criminal damage during a protest in Kent. | Six Greenpeace activists have been found not guilty of causing criminal damage during a protest in Kent. |
| The activists were charged with causing damage worth £30,000 after they scaled Kingsnorth power station in Hoo in a protest over a coal-fired power plant. | The activists were charged with causing damage worth £30,000 after they scaled Kingsnorth power station in Hoo in a protest over a coal-fired power plant. |
| At Maidstone Crown Court Judge David Caddick said the jury had to examine whether protesters had a lawful excuse. | At Maidstone Crown Court Judge David Caddick said the jury had to examine whether protesters had a lawful excuse. |
| The defendants had claimed their actions were lawfully right by preventing further damaging emissions. | The defendants had claimed their actions were lawfully right by preventing further damaging emissions. |
| 'Gordon, bin it' | 'Gordon, bin it' |
| Five people who scaled the chimney - Huw Williams, 41, of Nottingham; Ben Stewart, 34, of Lyminge, Kent; Kevin Drake, 44, of Westbury, Wiltshire; Will Rose, 29, of London; and Emily Hall, 34, from New Zealand - were all charged with causing criminal damage. | Five people who scaled the chimney - Huw Williams, 41, of Nottingham; Ben Stewart, 34, of Lyminge, Kent; Kevin Drake, 44, of Westbury, Wiltshire; Will Rose, 29, of London; and Emily Hall, 34, from New Zealand - were all charged with causing criminal damage. |
| Tim Hewke, 48, from Ulcombe, Kent, accused by the prosecution of organising the protest from the ground, also faced the same charge. | Tim Hewke, 48, from Ulcombe, Kent, accused by the prosecution of organising the protest from the ground, also faced the same charge. |
| Jurors heard how protesters painted the name "Gordon" on the 200m (650ft) chimney on 8 October last year, in a political protest against the redevelopment of the plant as a coal-burning unit. | Jurors heard how protesters painted the name "Gordon" on the 200m (650ft) chimney on 8 October last year, in a political protest against the redevelopment of the plant as a coal-burning unit. |
| They had planned to daub the words "Gordon, bin it" on the stack in a reference to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but were threatened with a High Court injunction and arrested. | They had planned to daub the words "Gordon, bin it" on the stack in a reference to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, but were threatened with a High Court injunction and arrested. |
| The campaigners spent 30 hours on the site | |
| Outside the court, activist Mr Stewart said the verdict was "a tipping point for the climate change movement". | |
| He said: "When 12 normal people say it is legitimate for a direct acting group to shut down a coal-fired power station because of the harm it does to our planet then where does that leave government energy policy?" | |
| Mr Stewart called for "clean technologies" to be used instead of coal. | |
| And he said: "This is a huge blow for ministers and their plans for new coal-fired power stations." | |
| Fellow campaigner Mr Williams said the verdict represented "a devastating challenge" to government claims "that you can build new coal plants and still stop climate change". |