Judge praises Extinction Rebellion activists after letting them walk free

A judge who let Extinction Rebellion activists walk free from court reportedly praised their ‘courage’ and told them: ‘You have to succeed.’

Six of the green protesters who joined in the group’s first major demonstration in London stood trial for public order offences last month.

Three were found guilty but were freed on conditional discharges by City of London Magistrates’ Court.

No media attended the trial, but Metro.co.uk has seen notes taken by a member of Extinction Rebellion’s (XR) legal support team and an academic known to one of the defendants.

District Judge David Noble is quoted heaping praise on the group while suggesting his sympathies would prevent him from presiding over similar trials in the future.

According to the notes, he told the defendants: ‘It is with a really heavy heart that I have to convict you.

‘This is going to be my last Extinction Rebellion trial for a little while. I think they only allow us to do so many of these before our sympathies start to overwhelm us.

‘When I started, I was fully expecting to see the usual crowd of anarchists and communists.

‘I have to say I have been totally overwhelmed by all the defendants. It is such a pleasure to deal with people so different from all of the people I deal with in my regular life.’

Jay Griffiths, a writer, and Hannah Judd, were given a conditional discharge. Professor Colin Davis of Bristol University and Dr John Andrews were both acquitted.

The other two defendants have not been named.

The six were arrested for breaching a Section 14 notice which police used to control where activists could demonstrate legally.

Ms Griffiths, a writer, said Judge Noble seemed ‘old-school and no-nonsense’ and did not give any emotions away until his ruling.

She told Metro.co.uk that he described her defence statement as ‘perhaps the most moving defence I have ever heard in all my years [as a judge].’

Prof Davis added: ‘When people are impartial and listen to the evidence carefully, as judges are required to do, they understand our motivation.

‘They recognise that this is an emergency, that successive governments have failed to respond appropriately, and that normally law-abiding citizens are being driven to civil disobedience in an attempt to raise the alarm and compel the government to act.’

According to the notes, Judge Noble told the defendants: ‘Thank you for your courtesy, thank you for your integrity, thank you for your honesty. You have to succeed.’

A conservative barrister who comments on legal matters said the judge’s remarks ‘bring the law into disrepute’.

Jon Holbrook wrote on Twitter: ‘Judges should judge criminals by what they do, not who they are.’

Last month another district judge at the same court commended an Olympic gold medallist who helped block Waterloo Bridge.

Michael Snow spared canoeist Etienne Stott from jail due to his previous good character and passion for climate activism but said he had to find him guilty of a Section 14 breach.

In December, three XR protesters who glued themselves to a DLR train were found guilty ‘with regret’ by a jury while the judge praised their ‘purest of motives’.

Cathy Eastburn, 52, Mark Ovland, 36, and Luke Watson, 30, were convicted of obstructing a railway for their stunt in April last year.

The presiding judge said there was ‘no possibility’ of any of them going to prison after commending them for minimising the disruption they caused.

City of London Magistrates’ Court could not be reached for comment.

Judge Noble has previously directed requests for comment to the Judicial Office, which could not be reached for comment.