Two men convicted after protests at Essex fuel depots
Three people have now been convicted in connection with environmental protests earlier this year
Two men have been sentenced over their involvement in environmental protests at fuel depots in Thurrock last month.
21 year old Louis McKechnie, of Clearmount Road in Weymouth, admitted to aggravated trespass at the Exolum Storage site on April 11.
He was ordered to pay a total of ÂŁ339 and will have to forfeit glue and a chain used in the demonstration.
22 year old Matthew Powell, of Lower Bristol Road in Bath also admitted aggravated trespass at the same site on April 10.
He was given a 12 month conditional discharge and will have to pay ÂŁ127. He will have to surrender a lock used in the protest.
Both were sentenced at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court yesterday (May 24).
Three people have now been convicted in connection with the protests, which were led by campaign group Just Stop Oil.
The group have held several high profile demonstrations outside oil terminals across the UK, as they attempt to persuade the government to move away from investments in fossil fuels.
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said:
“We have consistently said our priority during this time was to ensure the safety of all those involved in the disruption; be that our own officers, other emergency services colleagues and indeed those causing the disruption.
“Thankfully, in each instance, officers were able to act quickly to ensure the affected sites experienced minimal disruption and fuel supply was not adversely affected.
“We welcome these convictions, which are our second and third respectively, and our investigative teams continue to build cases against a number of others.”