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Press Releases & Updates 2008
19th May 2008
No case to answer for blocking illegal work on weapons of mass destruction.
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People driving to work at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, Burghfield along the Mearings MoD road just after 7.0am on Monday 12th November 2007 were non-violently blocked by four Trident Ploughshares resisters lying in the road. Ray Davies, Irene Willis, Zelda Jeffers and Chris Gwyntopher maintained their blockade for over two hours. They were among 70 to 80 supporters of Block the Builders, Trident Ploughshares, CND and other peace organisations in direct non-violent resistance to the deployment and development of nuclear weapons of mass destruction at both Burghfield and Aldermaston.
On 11th December at Reading Magistrates Court, Ray Davies pleaded "guilty of trying to stop the destruction of our planet and the spread of nuclear weapons" and "guilty of trying to provide a future for his children, and for the world". He was given two years conditional discharge.
The charges against Chris Gwyntopher were dropped because the CPS considered "there is not enough evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction." He had planned to call Prof Nick Grief as an expert witness on the illegality of the Trident nuclear missile system and its replacement.
Irene Willis, Zelda Jeffers were still tried for trying to stop such illegal and immoral and dangerous activity at Reading Magistrates Court, on Wednesday 14th May. Irene was represented by Shauna Gillan briefed by Bindmans. The case against both was dismissed by the District Judge, as no case to answer. He accepted that the road blocked, the Mearings, was not the highway but a private road owned by the MoD. They did not wilfully obstruct the Reading Road, some 200 yards away from where they lay down and locked on. The police could have redirected the ordinary traffic to prevent any serious delay of along the Reading Road. Zelda had made it clear that they were willfully blockading the workers from going in to make nuclear weapons. The Judge and the Clerk thought there is no binding precedent for people being convicted for unintended obstruction caused by obstruction on private land. He mentioned that the defendents were exercising a legitimate right to protest. Costs were awarded to the defendants.
Get Reading reported reported, ’Speaking outside the court, Ms Jeffers, of De Beauvoir Road in London, said: "We have been told we had no case to answer, my comment would be that the nuclear establishment at Aldermaston do have a case to answer and so they should close down and do something useful."
Equally defiant, Ms Willis, of Buckland Shoeburyness in Southend-on-Sea, said: "It is a bit of a hollow victory because the nuclear weapons still exist. While the weapons still exist, we will continue to protest."
There will be a further major non violent Blockade of Atomic Weapons Establishment, Aldermaston on Monday 27th October, 2008.
Last updated: 19th May 2008
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