Burghfield blockaders are spared a trial…….and get train fares paid

Leonna,  Jamie and myself, Julia, arrived for trial in Reading on Friday 10th Jan. defending ourselves on a charge of  Obstruction of the Highway. This was as a result of the blockades outside AWE Burghfield which closed it down on September 2nd last summer.

I had a feeling that there was bureaucratic confusión about when I got a wad of papers in the post just as I was leaving home to catch the train south….they were police witness statements which had nothing to do with our case.

And it  turned out that the prosecuting solicitor had only just that morning received  over 5 hours worth of pólice videos that she was supposed to watch before the trial. She spoke with us at length about our options and was  fairly open that there had been administrative blunders, which meant that there were “large holes” in the prosecution case.

We´d got ourselves all psyched up for a legal battle and were full of righteous indignation  and good quotes, so it took a fair bit of discussion on our own, and some help from the duty solicitor , before we decided to not agree to the S10 or S whatever it was, which would have enabled the trial to go ahead without police evidence.

We went before the district Judge hoping that he would not seek an adjournment, and in the event he carefully asked each of us what we thought about it, agreed it was a bad idea, and instructed us to claim our expenses.

Wandering out of the courtroom we were surprised, a bit dazed, slightly disappointed to have missed an opportunity to denounce Trident and show off our encyclopaedic knowledge of International Law, but on the whole relieved and glad to have escaped a fine and have the thing over so painlessly. And all that homework will surely come in handy for the future……..