Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station activists sentenced

Two activists who planned to shut down a power station in Nottinghamshire have been given community orders.

Sarah Shoraka and Ben Stewart were among 20 people convicted of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass at Nottingham Crown Court in December.

The court heard they plotted to close Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.

Last week, the trial of six other campaigners accused of being involved collapsed when an undercover police officer offered to help the defence.

After the offer from Pc Mark Kennedy, the defence team asked prosecutors to disclose full details of his activities - prompting the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to drop the case.

Mr Kennedy has since said he believes tape recordings secretly made by him were withheld for fear they would destroy the prosecution's case.

Shoraka and Stewart - both Greenpeace employees - argued his comments meant their own trial may have been a miscarriage of justice.

'Explosive' tape

But Judge Jonathan Teare told them that Mr Kennedy "played absolutely no part in the trial of you and the other 18".

He said: "I have no knowledge of him apart from the fact that he hired a vehicle in this county and as far as he is concerned I make no comment about him at all."

The judge ordered Shoraka, 33, of Fairholt Road, London, to complete 90 hours unpaid work as part of a one-year community order.

He told Stewart, 36, of Alkham Road, London, to complete 80 hours also as part of a one-year community order.

More than 100 people were originally arrested over the plot to shut down the power station

After the hearing, Stewart - who is head of media for Greenpeace - said the judge's comments showed Mr Kennedy's tapes had been withheld from the court.

He said: "He played no part in the trial because it was not brought up in evidence.

"He did not play any part because the people that knew for sure he was a police officer and knew the significance of that explosive tape that he had did not tell us, and now we know, significantly, did not tell the judge.

"We are in the situation where in the short period between our conviction and our sentencing, very serious allegations have been raised by the media which throw into doubt the safety of our conviction and there is possibly a miscarriage of justice."

He and Shoraka said they were waiting for disclosure of the tapes by the prosecution before deciding their next move, including whether they will appeal against their convictions.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is to examine whether Nottinghamshire Police gave all relevant material to prosecutors.

Shoraka and Stewart were the only remaining activists awaiting sentencing in connection with the plot.

The other 18 were given a mixture of community orders and conditional discharges earlier this month.

Those convicted were among more than 100 people arrested in Sneinton, Nottingham, in April 2009.