Wigan business owner guilty after Just Stop Oil blockade at fuel terminal

Alan Woods, 58, and six fellow Just Stop Oil supporters were found guilty of aggravated trespass after a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

The court heard how they arrived at the Esso fuel terminal in Birmingham at 4am on April 3 and stopped all distribution for around 12 hours.

The Just Stop Oil supporters were demanding that the Government halts licences and consents for any new fossil fuel projects in the UK.

During the trial, the defendants claimed that Esso – a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil – had led a campaign of misinformation over the role of fossil fuels in climate breakdown.

Woods, a company director for Alan’s BMX in Wigan town centre, alleged that Esso knew about climate change as long ago as 1979 and “robbed humanity of a generation’s worth of time to reverse the damage their product has caused”.

He said: “I participated in this action in order to highlight this and to demand the UK do not license any further fossil fuel projects.”

Woods was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £500 and a £22 victim surcharge.

The same punishment was given to Paul Barnes and Paul Fawkesley, while Oliver Clegg, Jon Deery, Harley Brewer and Diana Hekt must pay costs of £250 each.

Naomi Goddard and Sylvie More were both declared not guilty, as the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence against them.

Just Stop Oil said a further four supporters involved in blocking the fuel terminal on the same day were recently acquitted.