The sentences are less than I’d have hoped. I would have preferred the maximum of two years for all of them, partly to drive the point home regarding blackmail tactics, and partly to keep the bastards off the roads.
Ana Heyatawin, 58, and Louis McKechnie, 20, were jailed for three months while Dr Ben Buse, 36, Roman Paluch-Machnik, 28, Oliver Rock, 41, Emma Smart, 44, Tim Speers, 36, and James Thomas, 47, all received four-month sentences.
The group vowed to continue protesting.
The submissions made by Ben Taylor, 37, to the court on Tuesday were described by Dame Victoria Sharp as “inflammatory” and a “call to arms”, and he was therefore given a longer sentence of six months “to deter (him) from committing further breaches”.
I think that’s optimistic, frankly. The man is an extremist ideologue, so is unlikely to be deterred, but yes, please send him down. Get the scumbag off the roads.
These people seem to think that they are somehow enlightened and are better than the rest of us and have the right to use whatever tactics they like to bully us. Yet people like them have been predicting doomsday scenarios for over half a century and they have all been wrong. Even the approved science doesn’t go along with their hysterical hyperbole. And that is largely irrelevant to what they are claiming to achieve – even if every house in Britain was insulated according to their demands, it wouldn’t make one iota of difference to the climate. Of course, when challenged with that, they claim that fuel poverty is a problem. Well, yes, for some it is, but that’s another argument. It is also one that is not solved by holding the country to ransom, stopping ordinary people going about their lawful business and thinking that they have the right to bypass the democratic process and make demands.
Those who demand, don’t get. These self-righteous, entitled brats need to learn that good and hard. Maybe while staying at Her Majesty’s they will get the opportunity to learn that lesson. Good and hard.
It is a start, probably the right magnitude. I think this is more of a “We’re not messing around, knock it off.” message to them. If they keep doing it, significantly longer sentences.
I’m more interested in what happens with the costs. It’s reported that the Highways people are requesting £91K in costs, so they’re looking at approx £10K each.
That should definitely be upheld. Make them pay. It might even make them consider going and getting a job and doing something useful for society… Pipe dream I know.
Oh, yes, absolutely they need to pay.
Do you suppose that these idiots will live long enough to realise how wrong they were? Or is it the case that, however many times they get proven to be wrong, they never ever get it?
It is a religion; reality has no bearing on their consciousness.
Quite. The catalogue of failed predictions completely fails to register. They are like those doomsday prophets who simply choose a new date when the deadline passes without incident.
Wouldn’t it be fun if the other cons blocked their access to the toilets, showers, and dining hall.
On the subject of showers, I would suggest to the blokes that if they drop the soap, kick it all the way back to your cell before bending down to pick it up.
A thought occurred to me that the sentences that were handed out to these people reflected the public mood. It was evident that the public were losing what little patience that they had with these people. This is actually quite worrying. Sentencing based on perceived public opinion rather than a dispassionate decision based on the available facts is drifting dangerously close to mob rule.
I hasten to add that I don’t think that the sentences were too harsh, if anything they were too lenient. My problem is that the suspended sentences that would have been expected in this kind of situation, especially as those convicted of violent assault tend to get suspended sentences nowadays, weren’t imposed.
As per comments below, this is the judiciary punishing contempt of court, a much more serious matter in their eyes than contempt of the public.
They say that they intend to carry on with their pantomimes when they get out. Shouldn’t this be treated as contempt of court, with all its juicy penalties?
This was contempt of court. There is a court injunction against obstructing the highways and they ignored it so they are in contempt.
And got what they deserved. I’m not seeing much in the way of sympathy for these cretins.
Seen the latest from Austria LR?
Thought it might prompt you to give a fulsome opinion on ‘mandatory vaccination
Just heard about it from Carl Vernon.
This is interesting.
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2021/11/18/jailed-insulate-britain-protester-went-globe-trotting-in-a-gas-guzzling-4×4-pick-up-truck/#more-54069
Hands up anyone who is surprised.
I heard about that one.