Six environmental activists walk free after court dismisses charges due to lack of ongoing work at the protest site.
Six environmental activists who spent 31 days occupying a tunnel near Euston station in protest against the HS2 high-speed rail project have been cleared of charges by a court. The defendants—Daniel Hooper (known as “Swampy”), Dr. Larch Maxey, Isla Sandford, Lachlan Sandford, Juliett Stevenson-Clarke, and Scott Breen—were facing charges of aggravated trespass after their underground protest in January and February. However, a judge dismissed all charges, including a separate one against Maxey for damaging a mobile phone.
The protest, which involved the creation of a 100-foot tunnel, was intended to block construction work on the HS2 project. The protesters secretly dug the tunnel and stockpiled supplies to sustain them underground for an extended period. They spent much of their time reinforcing the tunnel structure.
HS2 officials expressed disappointment over the ruling, emphasizing the costs incurred due to the disruption—estimated at £3.5 million. However, District Judge Susan Williams ruled that the charges against the protesters should be dropped because there was no evidence of construction work being conducted at the protest site during the period in question. According to the judge, the aim of the protest was to clear the site for future construction, not to halt ongoing operations.
This protest is one of the longest in UK history, lasting for 31 days, though it fell short of the record set in 2000 by a 40-day protest in Essex.
