Extinction Rebellion activists fined for Dundee drilling rig protest

The group were each ordered to pay the lifeboat charity £250

Seven Extinction Rebellion activists whose dinghy began sinking during an oil rig protest have been ordered to pay compensation to the RNLI.

The group had previously admitted causing alarm by scaling and occupying the drilling rig during treacherous weather conditions in Dundee.

They were each told to pay the lifeboat charity £250 at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Six of the group were also fined £150 for taking part in the incident in January last year.

Marco Tenconi, 25, Guy Bowen, 33, Federico Pastoris, 26, Mark Quinn, 23, Fiona Cormie, 27, Joanne Venables, 37, and Alison Orr, 29, all admitted breaching the peace at the Valaris Oil Rig tethered at Dundee Harbour.

Three of the group climbed 300 feet up the side of the rig

Sheriff Grant McCulloch told the group he had no problem with them choosing to protest but warned them about the risk of posing danger to others.

He said: "I can understand the temptation to do things that cause maximum interference to daily public life.

"The flip side is, if you go too far, you endanger yourself and others and that is what happened here."

The court was told the incident cost police, coastguard and the lifeboat charity £30,000

It heard that the group's inflatable boat started sinking and the planned week-long sit-in was ended after a few hours because of the stormy weather.

The three female members of the group climbed 300 feet up one of the legs of the rig and staged a protest for several hours as concerned onlookers watched from the shore.

The activists boarded the rig from the River Tay

Fiscal depute Emily Hood told the court that the deputy port manager was made aware of the dinghy at about 11:00.

Ms Hood said: "He saw the accused struggling to stand in the boat. Given the harsh weather conditions he was concerned for their safety and contacted the coastguard.

"A short time later three of the accused accessed the oil rig.

"Cormie, Venables and Orr gained access to the oil rig and climbed the leg."

The depute fiscal told the court the three women used ropes and climbing equipment to scale a height of 300ft (91m), before reaching a platform where they spent more than four hours.

Solicitor Jim Brady, representing all bar Bowen, said: "There were great efforts on the part of these young people to ensure their own safety and the safety of others.

"They are young people trying to do their best. They have made mistakes in this case.

"I put that down to youth and inexperience."