Overview
- A Salisbury Crown Court jury delivered not-guilty verdicts on Oct. 31 after six hours of deliberation.
- Defendants Luke Watson, Rajan Naidu and Niamh Lynch had faced allegations including damaging an ancient protected monument and, for two, causing a public nuisance.
- The defense argued the action caused no lasting harm and invoked Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and Judge Paul Dugdale noted the difficult balance in his summing up.
- Prosecutors said the protest recklessly risked permanent damage and called it vandalism, while English Heritage reported no visible damage but cited potential harm from cleaning and spiritual distress.
- The June 2024 demonstration used cornflour, talcum powder and orange dye to urge a Fossil Fuel Non‑Proliferation Treaty by 2030, and the cleanup that day cost £620.