Just Stop Oil protesters who spray-painted Darwin’s grave deny criminal damage

National World - LocalTV

Two Just Stop Oil protesters who spray-painted Charles Darwin’s grave in Westminster Abbey have pleaded not guilty to criminal damage insisting their action was proportional to “the threat the world is facing”.

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00:0077-year-old Diane Bly of Langham Place in Broome in Somerset and 66-year-old Alison

00:09Lee of Park Grove in Derby both appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday for a plea

00:17and trial preparation hearing where they both entered not guilty pleas to criminal damage.

00:25I might add despite the judge's advice against it the pair chose to represent themselves.

00:32Of course the pair are accused of writing 1.5 is dead quote-unquote over the resting

00:38place of Charles Darwin here at Westminster Abbey in January. The pair suggested they

00:45would not be able to receive a fair trial because the Crown Prosecution Service was

00:53overlooking quote-unquote crimes against humanity and they insisted their action was

01:01proportional to the quote-unquote threats the world is facing. Current court backlogs

01:07mean they could be waiting well over a year before this goes to trial. Currently the pair

01:14are set to appear for trial on the 5th of May 2026 with that trial expected to last

01:20three days. Prosecutor Vincent Scully told the court both the defendants accept doing

01:27part of the spray painting each. Bly accepts painting dead, Lee accepts painting 1.5. Both

01:37were wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts and gave a press conference afterwards.

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