Press Releases & Updates 2001
7th August 2001
No Vandalism Charge for Nuke Sub Spray-Painter
MOD accused of trying to hide embarrassing security breach
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It was learned today that the authorities have decided not to charge with vandalism a Trident Ploughshares activist who yesterday spray-painted a Trident nuclear weapon submarine inside its protected berth.
Marcus Armstrong (41), a peace and community worker from Milton Keynes, swam into the base in the early hours of Monday morning with Rachel Remnant (21), a zoology student at Liverpool University. Marcus was held in custody overnight and appeared with Rachel today at Helensburgh District Court on a charge of breaching the byelaws by being inside the protected area at Faslane. In answer to Marcus’ query about the absence of a charge relating to the spray-painting Procurator Fiscal Ian McCrae said "No comment." Justice of the Peace John McPhail accepted the Crown’s request for an additional bail condition for Marcus and Rachel - that they must not go within 25 metres of the protected area at Faslane and Coulport.
David Mackenzie said: "It’s clear that the MOD cannot stomach a court case in which the chronic inadequacies of base security would be again exposed, so they are pretending that it did not happen."
Marcus said: "We were proud to take this symbolic action on Hiroshima day and again give the UK government the message that we will not tolerate them planning murder on an even greater scale."
Finnish activist Katri Silvonen (23) was also given the same bail conditions when she appeared from custody after failing to appear for a trial on 1st August.
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