A Just Stop Oil supporter faces retrial after a jury was unable to reach a verdict in relation to her participation in the M25 gantry climbing actions in November 2022 demanding an end to new oil and gas licencing. [1]
A 12-member jury at Southwark Crown Court was unable to reach a verdict in the case of a Just Stop Oil supporter charged with the new statutory offence of ‘causing a public nuisance’ under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, following more than 9 hours of deliberations over three days.
Theresa Norton, 66, a former councillor and carer, took part in a Just Stop Oil action on the M25 in November 2022, during which she climbed a gantry near junction 1b on 7 November, to demand an end to all new oil and gas projects – a demand that has since been adopted as official government policy. She did so in breach of a National Highways civil injunction, and on 30 October 2023 was found guilty of contempt of court and handed a suspended sentence. [2]
The CPS has now been allowed 7 days by Judge Tomlinson to determine whether it will pursue a retrial.
In her evidence to the Jury, Norton said:
“I acted on my conscience. My despair turned into action into hope. Sadly, conscience is not a legal defence. Therefore, you’ll be directed to ignore this evidence, all that I’ve said, and come to your verdict only on the evidence as presented by the prosecution. This leaves you with no choice, no agency, you have become part of the machinery of state. Accepting of the cognitive dissonance that can happily see a government declare such statements as seen in the Agreed Facts, whilst simultaneously issuing 130 new oil and gas licences, planning for extra runways at airports, building more roads, refusing to implement plans to insulate our badly designed cold and draughty homes, continuing with subsidies to fossil fuel companies to the tune of millions of pounds a week and delaying investment for sustainable green energy, because the fossil fuel lobby is powerful and generous with donations to influential think tanks.
The climate crisis was only getting worse in 2021. Talks by eminent climate scientists were telling us to act, do something. In 2022, a third of Pakistan was under flood water- 1700 dead, 13,000 injured, 8 million displaced. Portugal, Germany and France had rampant wildfires. In July there were wildfires in UK and 40 degrees in London for the first time. London Fire Brigade had its busiest day since WW2.
Civil resistance is a communicative act. It communicates that something is very wrong and needs to change. It is not trying to seize power in a violent armed revolution. It is nonviolent and peaceful. Facts, information and science do not motivate people to change. Tell a smoker that smoking kills and they’ll carry on. Facts are not what powers the human heart. That’s why just talking about science will not save us and quoting all the statistics in the world will not move us to change. You have to bring emotions into it. Nonviolent direct action has a history of effecting change. We’ve been vindicated. That oil and gas will stay in the sea. But I stand here because I maintain the courage of my convictions. I believe that when we see clearly through that state machinery, it is only our collective conscience that can truly be relied upon.”
During the trial, the Crown prosecution acknowledged the findings of the 2020 Net Zero Interim report, which stated:
“Climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Without global action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the climate will change catastrophically with almost unimaginable consequences for societies across the world.” [3]
Additionally, the prosecution agreed upon the established scientific consensus that warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels poses ‘catastrophic’ and ‘irreversible’ risks to humanity. It was further accepted that the average global temperature rise for the year ending 2024 was 1.65 degrees Celsius, with projections indicating that warming would permanently surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius before 2030.
Just Stop Oil continues to stand by those prosecuted for peaceful resistance against fossil fuel expansion in the face of rapidly accelerating climate collapse.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
April 26th 2025 was the last Just Stop Oil action, but our supporters will continue to tell the truth in the courts, speak out for our political prisoners, and call out the UK’s oppressive anti-protest laws.
Just Stop Oil continues to rely on small donations from the public to make this happen.
[2] https://juststopoil.org/2023/10/30/no-prison-for-m25-injunction-breakers/