06 Dec Extinction Rebellion protester escapes prosecution for blocking Waterloo Bridge
An Extinction Rebellion protester charged with ‘obstructing the highway’ and ‘breaching Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986’ walked free from court, after a judge ruled he couldn’t hear police instructions.
38-year-old Daniel Morelli from Bridport, Dorset, who pled not guilty, was protesting at Waterloo Bridge on the 15th of April 2019.
Chief Inspector Duncan McMillan, the officer in charge that day, implemented Section 14, allowing police to remove protesters, to tackle what he described as “serious disruption”.
City London Magistrates’Court heard Mr Morelli, received requests from police to leave Waterloo Bridge. Mr Morelli stayed, putting himself in breach of the condition, leading to his arrest and being carried from the bridge in the arms of police.
Defence lawyer, Marie Anne Clark, claimed that due to noise from the surrounding protest, Mr Morelli may not have been able to hear requests made by police, hence was unaware that he was breaching the recently implemented condition. She told the court “You have no way of knowing how much Mr Morelli could actually hear”.
Bodycam footage of the incident, taken from arresting officer,Police Constable Jason Sanders, was presented as evidence alongside his testimony: “I made it clear that he had to move under section 14”.
Mr Morelli, wearing a white shirt and wooden beaded necklace, grinned from the dock as this footage was presented.
Dismissing the case against Mr Morelli, District Judge Booty, told the court “I cannot find, nor any tribunal could ever find, if Mr Morelli could hear, or knew what was being asked of him by police.”
