Overview

• Four members of Just Stop Oil—Indigo Rumbelow, Daniel Knorr, Leonorah Ward and Margaret Reid—were each convicted of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance and sentenced to prison terms from 18 to 30 months on May 27, 2025.
• Greater Manchester Police intercepted the group on August 5, 2024, as they approached Manchester Airport carrying angle grinders, heavy-duty bolt cutters, sand and superglue intended for breaching perimeter fencing and gluing themselves to taxiways.
• Judge Jason MacAdam rejected the activists’ claim of minimal disruption, warning that a successful protest would have inflicted severe flight cancellations, widespread passenger chaos and significant safety risks.
• The defendants said their actions were motivated by the climate emergency and formed part of Just Stop Oil’s campaign demanding a treaty to end fossil fuel extraction by 2030.
• Noah Crane, initially charged alongside the quartet, was acquitted after evidence confirmed he was not present on the day of the intended protest.