Press Releases & Updates 2001

Susan van der Hijden (32), from Amsterdam, and Father Martin Newell (33), from Canning Town in London, are charged on two counts of criminal damage, totalling £31000, after disarmament work on a nuclear weapon convoy truck at Wittering in November last year.

Justice Darroch did not allow the defence’s legal arguments, based on the illegality of Trident under international humanitarian law, to be put to the jury. Martin’s barrister Terry Munyard told the eight men and four women that Martin had acted out of principle - there was nothing criminal in his intentions. History was full of examples of people who had brought about essential change by doing what they knew was right and technically breaking the law, such as the Suffragettes, anti-apartheid activists and Rosa Parks, who had defied segregation laws in Alabama.

In her final speech Susan told the jury that she had no choice but to act as she did. She pointed out that there had already been a number of acquittals of Trident Ploughshares activists. It would be nice if the jury would acquit, but she was only asking them to do what was right according to their own hearts. Wishing them peace in the jury room she sat down.

In summing up Justice Darroch said there were three possible defences in such cases, the defence of necessity, the commission of a crime to prevent a greater crime and the commission of a crime to protect property. He claimed that that none of these could be applied to this particular case. The jury then had 1 hour and 50 minutes of deliberation but had not reached a verdict by the end of the session.

A verdict is expected tomorrow.

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