4th April 2014

District Judge William Ashworth is expected to give his verdict at 11am on Monday in the trial of nine anti-fracking campaigners arrested outside Cuadrilla’s oil exploration site at Balcombe.

The case, which ran to five days at Brighton Magistrates Court this week, involves Katie Brown, 34, Luke Evans, 34, and James Jones, 19, all from Liverpool, Camille Herreman, 26, and Matthew Whitney, 30, both of Nottingham, Phillip Cawkwell, 52, of Ascot, Barry Slipper, 47, of Hythe, Kim Turner, 57, of Brighton, and Chris Seal, 30, of London.

It is alleged they obstructed the highway at a sit-down protest outside Cuadrilla’s oil exploration site at Balcombe on August 19th last year. All except Mr Cawkwell are also charged with failing to comply with a police instruction imposed under the Public Order Act. This required them to move to a designated protest area on the verge and part of the road, north of the entrance. All deny the charges.

Defence summing up

Prosecution summing up