Labour’s new solicitor general has dropped the previous government’s attempt to prosecute her for contempt of court for holding a sign outside a climate trial
A Walthamstow climate activist’s year-and-a-half legal order came to an end last week after Labour’s new solicitor general dropped the previous government’s attempt to prosecute her for contempt of court.
Trudi Warner, a 69-year-old retired social worker, had faced the legal arm of the state for holding a placard outside a trial on Insulate Britain protesters. The sign, which read Jurors: you have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience”, reflected a 300-year-old legal principle also written on a plaque on the Old Bailey.
Judge Silas Reid had however sought to prosecute her for claiming she was attempting to influence the jury. In May, a High Court judge had said there was no basis to take action against Trudi for her, a decision the previous solicitor general said he would appeal.
Reacting to the news, Trudi said: “I can go back to my gardening and learn a language…maybe!” She additionally expressed her thanks to her counsel and supporters for helping her get through the case, adding she hoped they could turn to concentrating on “helping all the others already in prison”.
Hundreds of supporters of Trudi had staged demonstrations holding the same sign she did at courts around the country, asking to be prosecuted as well. In July, four supporters of the Just Stop Oil climate campaign who planned to cause gridlock on the M25 were sentenced to a record prison sentence of four years, with one activist, Roger Hallam, sentenced to five years.
Teresa Persighetti, a retired counsellor and friend of Trudi from Waltham Forest, was one of those demonstrating her friend’s legal battle outside Snaresbrook Crown Court earlier this year. She said: “I have known Trudi for five years. She is honest, reliable and committed to this campaign to draw attention to a key element of our legal system.
“Juries make decisions based on the circumstances not just the letter of the law, like acquitting climate protestors of various offences, because their message about the climate emergency is so important. What would be the point of having a jury if jurors mistakenly believed their verdict always had to follow the judge’s instructions?”
Meanwhile, John Hall, a fellow supporter of Trudi, said: “My view is that in dismissing the case against Trudi, the judge looked at the evidence and rightly concluded that there was no case to answer.
He added that he remained concerned by the “motivation behind the Attorney General’s attempt” to charge Trudi, describing it as a move that, if successful, would have “silenced citizens exercising their legal rights”.
Speaking to the Echo in June, Trudi said she understood why people had compared her plight to the biblical David and Goliath story, saying: “There’s this little old lady, you know, who’s up against the state – and actually, she’s winning.”
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