Extinction Rebellion protesters guilty of obstructing highway

The trial of the six protesters was the second following the event

Six more Extinction Rebellion protesters who blockaded a newspaper printing works have been found guilty of obstructing the highway.

The blockade in September was at Newsprinters, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News UK, in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire.

It stopped three-and-half-million national newspapers from being distributed across the country.

Five of those convicted at St Albans Magistrates' Court received conditional discharges, while the other was fined.

It was the second trial following the protest after the Crown Prosecution Service chose to try six defendants at a time.

About 50 protesters put up tall bamboo structures outside the gates to the plant where the Sun, the Times, the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph and London Evening Standard were printed.

Protesters blocked roads to the presses in September last year

The trial heard Home Secretary Priti Patel had made multiple calls to commanding police officers about the protest and requested to "expedite" their removal.

The court also heard text messages to officers from Ms Patel were deleted in an IT "glitch".

Raj Chada, defending, said an independent review, commissioned by Hertfordshire Police, found officers had been placed under "significant political pressure".

However, Judge Sally Fudge found Ms Patel's conversations with senior officers had not influenced decisions taken on the ground.

Convicting the defendants, Judge Fudge said that while the demonstration was "peaceful" it had a significant impact on the ability of businesses to function and caused newspapers to lose an estimated £1m.

Those convicted were:

• Laura Frandsen, 31, of Waller Road, London

• Caspar Hughes, 49, of Commercial Road, Exeter

• Amir Jones, 40, of Fletcher Street, London

• Charlotte Kirin, 52, of Peckham Street, Bury St Edmunds

• Hazel Stenson, 57, of Summer Road, Bury St Edmunds

• Elise Yarde, 33, of Gainsford Road, London

Frandsen, who has two previous convictions for similar offences, was ordered to pay a £150 fine, and to pay the court £150 with a surcharge of £34.

The other fives defendants were given 12-month conditional discharges and ordered to pay £150 to the court and a £22 surcharge.

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