Press Releases & Updates 1999

At 9.45 am tomorrow, Tuesday 2nd March, five women will appear at Barrow Magistrates Court, accused of causing criminal damage to the latest Trident submarine, HMS Vengeance. They may have caused its sea trials to be delayed.

At 5.30 am on February 1st Rosie James and Rachel Wenham swam to and boarded HMS Vengeange. They painted "Illegal" and "Death Machine" on the sub, draped a banner "Women Want Peace" - over the conning tower and damaged test equipment before giving themselves up. The submarine, due to begin its sea trials on February 28th , is still in the Marconi Marine/VSEL dockyard.

Three other women , Janet Kilburn, Helen Harris & Louise Wilder, were arrested when they went to the Barrow police station to deliver clothing to the wet-suited swimmers. All of the five women are accused of causing £25,000 of criminal damage.

The women are members of Aldermaston Trash Trident, a Trident Ploughshares 2000 affinity group. They will each enter a not-guilty plea - based on their belief that Trident nuclear weapons are illegal under international law, and that in building, preparing and deploying them the British government is guilty of preparing for genocide.

The women will also apply for their very strict bail conditions to be removed.

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