Skip to main content

Euston tunnel mob is spared jail: Swampy and eco-activists walk free from court after month-long HS2 protest that cost developers £3.5m

A group of HS2 protesters who cost developers millions after they dug a series of tunnels close to London's Euston Station have walked free from court.

A judge yesterday threw out charges against the group, including the veteran eco-activist Swampy, over the month-long underground protest.

The demonstrators, part of a group called HS2 Rebellion, were arrested in February after using the 100-foot tunnel system and several treehouses to play a cat-and-mouse game with authorities over the rail link.

The protest is reported to have cost developers £3.5million – with £2.8million spent on enforcement officers to remove the activists from the site.

The trial against Daniel Hooper, 48 – known as 'Swampy' – Dr Larch Maxey, 49, Isla Sandford, 18, Lachlan Sandford, 20, Juliett Stevenson-Clarke, 22 and Scott Breen, 47, started on Tuesday at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court.

A judge yesterday threw out charges against a group of HS2 protesters, including the veteran eco-activist Swampy (right), over the month-long underground protest near London Euston

A judge yesterday threw out charges against a group of HS2 protesters, including the veteran eco-activist Swampy , over the month-long underground protest near London Euston

But district judge Susan Williams yesterday dismissed the charges of aggravated trespass, saying that at the time of the protest HS2 was not engaged in construction work on the site. A separate charge against Dr Maxey of damage to a mobile phone was also dismissed.

After leaving court, Swampy told The Guardian: 'We shouldn't have been in court in the first place because HS2 shouldn't have been happening. 

'Our plan is to stop HS2. Aggravated trespass charges were completely the wrong ones to level against us.' 

HS2 contractors were due to start work in Euston Square before the discovery of the secret network of tunnels on January 26 this year. Above: The proposed route

HS2 contractors were due to start work in Euston Square before the discovery of the secret network of tunnels on January 26 this year. Above: The proposed route

The group initially set up a 'Tree Protection Camp' in Euston Square Gardens last September to protest against the multi-billion-pound project.

It has claimed that the construction of the high-speed rail line between London and Crewe will cause extensive environmental damage.

However HS2 has disputed this, saying that only 43 of the UK's 52,000 ancient woodlands will be affected. 

A spokesman for HS2 said: 'The actions of these illegal trespassers put their own lives at risk, as well as the lives of our staff.

'This action was an enormous waste of public money... and we are bitterly disappointed that the court has not found fit to convict these individuals for their dangerous and irresponsible actions.'

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Girl, 6, who fell 120ft to her death on mine drop ride at Colorado amusement park was NOT buckled in and operators missed alarms

A six-year-old girl died after being ejected from her seat on a ride at a Colorado amusement part when the operators missed alarms.  Wongel Estifanos, of Colorado Springs, was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado with her family when both operators missed her seatbelt that it was improperly buckled on September 5.  The ride, which drops passengers 120 feet, is equipped with a two belt seatbelt system - a neuro bar and a standard seatbelt - to keep riders safe. It is not equipped with a shoulder harness.  The Garfield County Coroner's Office said the little girl died from multiple blunt force injuries after being ejected from the ride because operators failed to notice that she was sitting on her seatbelts.  Wongel Estifanos, six, of Colorado Springs , was riding the Haunted Mine Drop at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park in Colorado when both operators missed her seatbelt being improperly buckled on September 5 The Haunted Mine Drop drops riders ...

Policeman who shot dead a knife-wielding Indigenous mother in the street was not a 'trigger-happy' officer, murder trial hears

The murder trial of a policeman who shot dead an Indigenous woman on a suburban West Australian street is set to hear further witness evidence. As many as 60 people could be called to testify in the WA Supreme Court trial of the first-class constable, whose cannot be named for legal reasons. He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 29-year-old woman, known as JC for cultural reasons, in the Mid West town of Geraldton on September 17, 2019. JC, a mother-of-one, had experienced mental health and drug problems and recently been released from prison before her death. The accused was one of eight police officers who arrived at the scene after JC was spotted with a large knife and a pair of scissors. Family and supporters of a woman, referred to as 'JC' at family's request, leave the District Court of West Australia in Perth As the trial got underway on Tuesday, the jury was shown confronting CCTV footage of JC being shot while surrounded by four police vehicles. Director of Pu...

And they're off! 'Disgusting' thugs launch vicious mass brawl at Newmarket races as they fight with each other and security staff

Footage has appeared online of a mass brawl that broke out at Newmarket races this weekend.  The video shared on Twitter showed the moment the fight broke out at the racecourse in Suffolk on Saturday, with one man captured picking up what appeared to be a table to use as a weapon.  One man is showed with blood on his shirt, while in the background, another lands a punch on one of the many security guards trying to break up the fight.   The fight started in the betting ring, where legendary jockey Jamie Spencer won the big race of the day on 40-1 outsider Bedouin's Story, and then spilled into the bar.  The video showed the moment the fight broke out at the racecourse in Suffolk on Saturday A stunned spectator filmed as security guards rushed to the scene to break the fight up.  'First trip back to Newmarket in   years, and these idiots ruined a family day out,' they wrote. 'The poor security staff, and racegoers that had to witness it! Nasty thugs that shouldn't be ...