 |
|
|
Press Releases & Updates 2000
23rd August 2000
TP Pledger Marjan Willemsen Acquitted
|
Today at Helensburgh District Court Marjan Willemsen was acquitted on a
charge of Breach of the Peace.
She was arrested last November during a
Faslane Peace camp action. A number of activists had locked themselves to
the underneath of a base workers’ bus at the north gate of the Faslane
nuclear submarine base and Marjan was acting as a safety and legal
observer. Police witnesses claimed that she had refused to leave the road
when asked. In her own testimony Marjan pointed out that she attempted to
explain to the police officers that she was in the road purely to ensure
that her friend under the bus was not in any danger. Another protester,
Fungus, who was one of the activists under the bus, told the court that her
legal and safety observers had been able to communicate freely with her,
without interference from the police. Marjan’s lawyer Clare Ryan argued
that she had not interfered with the police, had not blocked any traffic,
her actions did not cause alarm or danger to others, and that failure to
comply with a police request did not constitute Breach of the Peace. The
magistrate Joe Scullion found her not guilty, saying there was doubt as to
whether a Breach of the Peace had been committed.
| |
| Search the Website |
|
|
 |
|
Trident Ploughshares,
0845 45 88 366
Email addresses:
Printer friendly version
Home