Just Stop Oil protesters spared prison for ‘reckless’ track invasion at Silverstone

Six Just Stop Oil protesters have been spared from prison after a track invasion at last year’s British Grand Prix in Silverstone endangered the lives of Formula One drivers and marshals.

David Baldwin, aged 47, from Witney; Emily Brocklebank, aged 24, from Leeds; Alasdair Gibson, aged 22, from Aberdeen; Louis McKechnie, aged 22, from Manchester; Bethany Mogie, aged 40, from St Albans and Joshua Smith, aged 29, from Manchester all appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, March 31.

On July 3, 2022, the protesters attended the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. During the race, a three-vehicle collision caused Zhoi Guanyu’s car to flip and a red flag was raised to make vehicles slow down, stop overtaking and travel to their pit stops.

At that point, five protesters - with bright orange ‘Just Stop Oil’ t-shirts - made their way onto the live race track and sat down, intending to glue themselves onto the tarmac.

Although most of the F1 cars had already passed the protesters as they crossed the grass verge, two had not. One damaged vehicle was described as “shooting sparks” as it passed them.

Baldwin was stopped by a marshal as he began to climb over the fence. He was later found with superglue, cable ties and a Just Stop Oil shirt and banner. Mogie had a tube of superglue hidden in her bra.

Quick-thinking Marshalls pulled the five protesters from the track and all six defendants were later arrested.

The Silversone six all pleaded not guilty to causing public nuisance but were found guilty by a jury after a three week trial.

The court heard that all defendants - except Gibson and Baldwin - were subject to court or police bail at the time of offending, due to previous protests.

In mitigation, all defendants said that the only reason they took part in these actions was because of their genuine beliefs that there is a climate emergency that requires immediate attention and action.

They claimed that their previous lawful protests had not produced adequate outcomes and told jurors that the group had planned the action over two-and-a-half months to make it as safe as possible.

High Court judge, Mr Justice Neil Garnham, said the protesters created an “obvious risk of danger” of a collision between them or the marshals and the passing Formula One cars.

The judge rejected the defendants’ assertion that they had properly assessed the risks and managed the protests to eliminate such risks.

Mr Garnham said: “You were, in my view, kidding yourselves, pretending an expertise you did not have. For all your high-minded protestations, none of you were qualified enough or experienced enough properly to assess the risk to which you and others were exposed by your actions.

“However I accept that you exposed the public to these risks as a result of your recklessness; you did not set out deliberately to expose them to that risk, even though that was the result of your actions.”

He added that the risk of injury or death sets this case apart from other protest cases, where actions of protesters cause inconvenience to road users, constitute trespass or cause minor damage to property.

McKechnie has six previous convictions - including a joint conviction of criminal damage with Brocklebank, where they super glued their hands to the frame of a £70 million Van Gogh painting in London and caused £2,200 of damage. He was handed a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Smith, who has three previous convictions, was handed a 12 month community order with 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Brocklebank, who has an “established pattern of reckless behaviour through attending protests” has five previous convictions including supergluing herself to a highway as part of an Insulate Britain protest and the vandalism of the Van Gogh painting frame. She was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

Mogie, who has four previous convictions for six offences - including obstructing highways and aggravated trespass - was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.

Gibson - who has three previous offences including aggravated trespass - was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 120 hours of unpaid work.

Baldwin has one previous conviction and one caution after supergluing himself to a road and - in another incident - a vehicle to obstruct traffic. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order with a six month mental health requirement.