Nearly 200 convictions for disruption in Essex
It's after a group of people carried out a number of disruptive incidents in Thurrock in 2022.
Nearly two hundred people have been convicted for road related disruption in Essex over the last few years
It's after a group of people carried out a number of disruptive incidents in Thurrock in 2022.
This included a man who caused criminal damage to 16 fuel pump display screens at a petrol station forecourt in Arterial Road, West Thurrock.
Dr Patrick Hart was one of a larger group which arrived at the station on 24 August 2022.
The group blocked the entrance to the forecourt whilst Hart used a glass break hammer and spray paint to damage the screens.
When officers were alerted to the incident, Hart was subsequently arrested, and charged with criminal damage valued at about £11,000, which he denied but a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found him guilty, sentencing him to 12 months in prison.
The conviction takes the total number relating to road-related disruption in Essex since 2022 to 199, with six people still awaiting trial.
Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, who has overseen our response to roads and infrastructure-related disruptions, said: “Dr Hart’s actions were deliberate and intentional and led to the closure of a business for the vast majority of the day.
“Not only was it forced to close, but the business was also left with a substantial amount of damage which had to be repaired.”
Ch Supt Anslow added: “Throughout these incidents, our priority was always to keep our county – and the country – moving in the face of efforts of others who were intent on causing disruption.
“We’ve repeatedly said that we are a police force which recognises legitimate protest as it is enshrined in law. But criminal disruption will not be tolerated and almost 200 people have now been convicted for their parts in it in Essex.
“I would continue to urge anyone who is thinking about involving themselves in acts of disruption to think again. Your actions will only lead to a criminal offence being committed and, inevitably, you ending up with a criminal record.”