'Stansted 15' protesters win right to appeal

The "Stansted 15" tried to stop an aircraft being used to deport people to African countries

Protesters who broke into Stansted Airport to stop a plane deporting people to Africa have been given permission to challenge their convictions, say their lawyers.

The "Stansted 15" were convicted under counter-terrorism legislation on 10 December 2018.

The protesters cut through the perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet.

Their case will go before the Court of Appeal at a later date.

The jet they targeted had been chartered by the Home Office to transport people from UK detention centres for repatriation to Africa

The 15 were later convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court of an offence arising out of the March 2017 break-in.

Three were given suspended jail sentences, and the other 12 were handed community orders.

The prosecution told jurors the activists put the "safety of the airport in a likelihood of danger".

Following the two-month trial, the protesters aged between 27 and 44 said that they were "guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm" , and described their conviction as an "injustice".