City Airport Black Lives Matter protesters spared jail after admitting trespass

Protesters given conditional discharges and ordered to pay £95 prosecution costs after pleading guilty to aggravated trespass.

(Getty )

The nine people who grounded up to 131 flights with a Black Lives Matter protest at London City Airport have been allowed to walk free from court despite the sentencing judge telling them their breach of airport security had been a "serious" matter.

The nine protesters, who had admitted locking themselves together after storming the airport’s single runway in the early hours of September 6 were all given conditional discharges and were each told to pay £95 towards the cost of the prosecution.

District judge Elizabeth Roscoe told them she believed they all had deeply-held views, particularly about climate change. But, she added, she found it "rather hard" to make the link with that and the Black Lives Matter campaign which stems from alleged racist treatment by the police in the US and the UK.

The judge, sitting at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court, told the activists: "There is a right in this country to protest and to protest peacefully.

"It was a peaceful although disruptive protest.

"I find it rather hard to see the link between the protest movement which started in America and goes by the name Black Lives Matter which as I understand protests against the treatment of the black population by the police in America.

"I am not sure how that links to City Airport and climate change. I do not underestimate the sincerity of your beliefs."

She said the protest had caused "a lot of disruption to a great many people" including business people and ordinary members of the public.

Upset may have been caused to people "who may have had similar beliefs to yourself", the judge said.

She said going into a secure area in an airport "does cause concern to the public".

The judge said: "To put fears and doubts in minds that these areas are easily accessible not just to you but to people with less peaceful intentions is serious. I do not think that this was in any way a minor matter."

The nine protesters all pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass by disrupting a person engaged in a lawful activity - an offence which can carry a maximum three-month prison sentence.

All were given an 18-month conditional discharge except for two who had convictions for previous similar protests.

Deborah Francis-Grayson, 31, of St Mary's Road, Slough, was given a three-year conditional discharge while Alex Etchart, 26, who lives on a houseboat called the Northern Soul, was given a two-year conditional discharge.

The other defendants, who received the 18-month conditional discharges, were: William Pettifer, 27, of Radford Mill Farm, Radford; Esme Waldron, 23, of Walmer Crescent, Brighton; Sama Baka, 27, and Sam Lund-Harket, 32, who live on the Northern Soul; Natalie Fiennes, 25, of Thurleigh Road, Wandsworth; Richard Collet-White, 23, of Spring Road, Kempston; Ben Tippet, 24, of Thurleigh Road, Wandsworth.

The protesters used inflatable rafts to cross the water in the docklands near the east London airport and had then climbed from the dock and on to the runway.

Still wearing their wetsuits, the group then set up a tripod on the runway and one man chained himself to it.

The other members of the group fixed themselves together with armlocks which contained a metal tube and expandable foam which sets hard.

Prosecutor Philip McGhee said: "The police attended. The runway had to be closed to traffic. The group had been wearing wetsuits. There were chanting various things including 'Black Lives Matter' and about climate change.

"When the police attempted to engage with them, they gave no comment."

By the time it was possible to safely separate the group up to 131 flights had been cancelled or affected along with around 9,000 passengers who would have been on business and personal trips.

Mr McGhee also said the disruption had "inevitably" caused a negative impact on the revenue and reputation of the airport operators with other airlines and passengers.

He said it "is not possible to quantify" the costs involved but the airport is "worried" about the damage to its reputation.

The final two members of the group were arrested nearly six hours later and the runway was reopened at midday.

The demonstration resulted in all flights in and out of the airport being cancelled, delayed or diverted.