Insulate Britain: Activists unglued from step and in custody

Theresa Norton, Diana Warner, El Litten, and Steve Pritchard, along with 16 others, had been charged with contempt of court

Four Insulate Britain protesters who left a hearing and glued themselves to the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice have been taken into custody.

Theresa Norton, 63, Diana Warner, 62, El Litten, 35 and Steve Pritchard, 62, along with 16 others, were due to answer charges of contempt of court.

They are accused of ignoring an injunction aimed at preventing protests on the M25 in October.

They described their walkout as "a show of resistance".

Once glued in place, the front gates of the building were locked, shutting the four inside. Police later unstuck them one by one before taking them into custody as fellow protesters cheered.

In court, Lord Justice William Davis read out a note from the four protesters, which said: "We feel we have to continue our resistance today because we don't want to cooperate with a system which is causing so much death and hardship."

He issued a bench warrant for the four.

A bench warrant is an order issued by a judge for a defendant who is missing, which requires them to be arrested and brought before court.

A number of High Court injunctions against Insulate Britain's road blockades have been previously granted to National Highways and Transport for London to prevent protests.

The court is expected to sentence the remaining 16 protesters at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday, following a hearing in the morning to deal with the four who refused to attend the proceedings on Tuesday afternoon.

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