Just Stop Oil jailed

Five Just Stop Oil activists have been jailed for causing significant traffic disruption on the M25 by climbing gantries in November 2022. The sentences, handed down by Judge Shane Collery KC at Basildon Crown Court, included two years for George Simonson and Theresa Higginson, and 22 months for Paul Bell. The judge criticized their actions as 'disproportionate to [their] aims,' noting that many people suffered hours of delay as a result. He acknowledged their conscientious motives but emphasized that their approach to raising awareness was misguided and caused unnecessary public inconvenience. One defendant, Daniel Johnson, received a suspended sentence with community service. The protest aimed to push for a government ban on new fossil fuel exploration, a demand that has since gained political traction.