The court of appeal has quashed sentences handed to 3 fracking protestors calling them “manifestly excessive”.

Jail sentences of 15- 16 months were given to the three protesters Simon Blevins, 26, Richard Roberts, 36, and Rich Loizou, 31 earlier in the month. The three had protested at a Caudrilla site in Lancashire and were convicted for public nuisance.

An open letter started by Sussex University academics which condemned the convictions has now reached over 1,000 signatures.

Amber Huff and Andrea Brock, who started the open letter, told The Badger: “We are very happy about the decision to overturn the excessive sentence. In the last few weeks, people across the UK have spoken out, in shock and disbelief. But most importantly, the anti-fracking movement showed that it was not intimidated by the ruling, with people continuing to take action, not least on Monday, when Caudrilla started its fracking operations in Lancashire and activists blockaded their site for 12 hours.

“We need more, not less, direct action to challenge the government’s support of the fracking industry, and we must not be complacent, resisting the criminalisation and intimidation of the resistance.”.

Image credit: Flickr: CREDO

 

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