Babe actor James Cromwell jailed over New York power plant protest

Actor refused to pay a fine and now faces time in Orange County jail

James Cromwell (left) in the film Babe (Press/Universal)

James Cromwell has been sentenced to seven days in jail after refusing to pay a fine related to his role in a protest in New York.

The Emmy Award-winning actor, who appeared in Babe and L.A. Confidential, was sentenced to a week in Orange County Jail after refusing to pay the $375 fine.

Cromwell, who starred as Farmer Hoggett in the 1995 adaptation of Dick King Smith's book Babe, the Sheep-Pig, was one of six environmental protestors found guilty of obstructing traffic when they staged a sit-in on the site of Competitive Power Ventures’ prospective natural gas-fired power plant.

They were protesting over claims that carbon emissions from the CPV power plant would pose an imminent threat to the local environment and accelerate climate change.

Three of the six protestors paid their fine on time, but Variety reports that Cromwell refused and now face jail time.

Cromwell said: “If we don’t stay together, nothing will change. Power to the people.”

Following an appeal, the three defendants now have a new deadline of 14 July to pay the fine.

Cromwell is set to star in Fallen Kingdom, the sequel to 2015’s Jurassic World, alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.