Press Releases & Updates 1999

The three women Trident Ploughshares 2000 activists involved in last week’s dramatic disarmament action in Loch Goil returned today (17th June) to Dunoon Sheriff Court where the charges against them were more clearly defined, referring to a total damage value of nearly £100,000.

Last Tuesday, 8th June, peace activists Ellen Moxley (63), from Dollar, Scotland, Ulla Roder (44) from Denmark and Angie Zelter (49), from Norfolk, England, boarded "Maytime", a floating laboratory which checks the "sonar invisibility" of Trident nuclear submarines, and cleared out the lab, throwing the equipment into the loch. They have now been charged with:

  Malicious mischief to a value of £30,000. This appears to refer to damage to a winch, control panels, an aerial antenna and a control room window.
  Theft by throwing into the loch to the value of £69,000. This refers to the computers, other electronic equipment, components, manuals and other documentation the women pitched overboard.

One of the conditions for bail was a commitment from the women that they would not re-offend in the interim. They were ready to accept this on the understanding that disarmament activity would not be considered by the court to be a crime. The court refused to agree to this and the women now return to Cornton Vale prison. Although their trial must take place within 110 days no dates have yet been arranged for future hearings.

Commenting on the bail issue Trident Ploughshares 2000 pledger Sian Jones said:

"In years to come we will look back at these events and will be amazed that there could ever have been any doubt within the judicial system that Trident is utterly unlawful; or that there could be any question about the legal and moral validity of what these women have done."

Maytime is part of the Floating Laboratory Complex in Loch Goil run by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), a technical arm of the UK Ministry of Defence. Submarine tests are conducted regularly at the facilities in Loch Goil and the latest Trident sub, HMS Vengeance has still to undergo acoustic trials.

For information on "Maytime" see the DERA Website: http://www.dra.hmg.gb/dera.htm

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