Press Releases & Updates 2003

On 6th February this year Joy Mitchell (70), from Berwick and Jane Tallents (45), from Helensburgh, along with Morag Balfour and David Mackenzie, blocked the north gate of the base, while a group of others prevented worker traffic getting into the south gate. Cars were tailed back for at least five miles and the gates were shut for an hour.

The case, at Helensburgh District Court on charges of breaching the peace, began with Jane making a special submission that the court, instead of wasting its time on the usual procedure, should sit down round a table and discuss the real issue, nuclear disarmament. The court rejected this attempt to break the impasse that has arisen through the determination of the activists to continue acting against Trident until it is disarmed and it’s inability to date to respond other than by imposing criminal sanctions.

Usually on these occasions the Crown is content to call two police officers to provide corroboration of the basic facts but today senior officers from Strathclyde Police and the MOD gave evidence about the level of disruption that had been caused, the five-mile tailbacks and the long delays for workers entering and leaving the base.

Giving evidence Joy told the court that with Trident the government was setting the worst possible example to our young people. Naming them, Jane told each official in the court in turn that she loved them and did not want them to experience the horrors of a nuclear attack. Giving evidence for the defence David Mackenzie said that when they had sat down at Faslane war with Iraq was imminent, with the added threat that it could involve our nuclear weapons, while Morag Balfour fought off attempts by the Crown to have her testimony blocked and detailed the diseases and birth malformations that are caused by radiation. JP Gillies fined Joy £250 and Jane £290. Both said they would not pay.

Meanwhile at Glasgow District Court Tommy Sheridan was sent to prison for seven days for refusing to pay a fine for taking part in a blockade of Faslane in February 2002.

Jane Tallents said: “The very evidence that the Crown thinks condemns us is what shows how effective we are at obstructing the work of Trident. We were determined today to tell the whole truth about Trident it’s just a pity that the court was not listening. The brilliant Tommy Sheridan continues to give us hope and inspiration. Would there were more MSPs like him!”

Tomorrow Morag Balfour and David Mackenzie are due to be tried for the same blockade.

Printer friendly version

Home | Top