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Press Releases & Updates 2001
1st October 2001
Witness Confirms Trident Disarmers Held Up Submarine For A Month
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As the adjourned trial of Trident submarine disarmers Rosie James and
Rachel Wenham began today in Manchester Crown Court, exactly 30 months
after their arrest, a Crown witness admitted that the damage they caused to
HMS Vengeance had delayed the vessel for a whole month.
On 1st February 1999 Rachel and Rosie swam to and boarded the Trident
nuclear weapon submarine, then docked at Barrow-in-Furness. They draped
banners, painted slogans and damaged testing equipment on the conning
tower. This is their third trial on the charges arising from that event. At
the second trial in Manchester Crown Court in September last year Rosie and
Rachel were acquitted by the jury on the charge relating to the painting of
slogans, and the jury were hung on the more serious charge relating to the
damage of the test equipment. Before Justice Fawcus and a jury, Rosie is
represented by barrister Marguerite Russell, instructed by solicitor Gareth
Peirce. Rachel is representing herself. It has been agreed that they may
bring a defence of necessity or one based on the prevention of damage to
property.
In his opening statement for the Crown barrister Dennis Watson claimed that
the UK was committing no crime by possessing Trident and that the main aim
of the defendants had been to acquire publicity for their cause.
Cross-examination of the three Crown witnesses heard today revealed that
the submarine had represented a serious security risk even in its then
unarmed state. A naval mechanic admitted that the submarine, if taken over
by terrorists, could have been a very dangerous weapon. In the dock in
February 1999 it was already producing toxic nuclear waste. In the event of
a major leak it would be 200 years before the gardens of the houses close
by the dock could safely be used for growing vegetables. The third witness,
a project leader, confirmed that Rosie and Rachel’s action had delayed the
submarine, an admission that will seriously dent the Crown’s claim that
their motivation was simply to gain publicity.
At the end of this first day supporters in court were encouraged by the
expertise of the legal defence, by the way evidence of the dangers posed by
the submarines were emerging and by the acceptance that the women had
carried out a very effective disarmament action.
The trial continues.
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