Overview
- After a 10-day trial at Salisbury Crown Court, the jury found Rajan Naidu, Niamh Lynch and Luke Watson not guilty of criminal damage and causing a public nuisance.
- The panel deliberated for six hours before returning the acquittals on both counts.
- The defence accepted the protest but argued it was peaceful and proportionate, citing rights to free expression and assembly under the European Convention on Human Rights.
- Prosecutors said Stonehenge was chosen for maximum impact and pursued the public-nuisance charge created by the 2022 Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.
- The June 19, 2024 action used colour blasters filled with cornflour, talc and orange dye; the powder was removed for £620, and the court heard Watson bought the devices and drove his co-defendants to the site.