Six Just Stop Oil supporters who were denied all legal defences during their trial were today given sentences of up to 30 months at Southwark Crown Court for peacefully climbing gantries on the M25 in 2022, to demand an end to new fossil fuel projects.

Just Stop Oil M25 action

Cosmo Cattell, Adelheid Russenberger, Jane Touil, Andrew Dames, Clara O’Callaghan and Michael Dunk took action on the M25 on 8 November 2022.

The six were among scores of Just Stop Oil supporters who climbed on gantries that week. They were sounding the alarm about the government’s plan to license over 100 new oil and gas projects against all expert advice.

They were found guilty of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance in October 2025 in an 8 day trial before Judge Perrins, during which they were denied all legal defences.

Additionally, in a break with every previous Just Stop Oil trial for gantry actions on the M25, the prosecution refused to accept any agreed facts on the climate crisis as part of the evidence.

Sentences

Today, Judge Perrins handed down prison sentences of between 20 and 30 months to Adelheid Russenberger, Jane Touil, Andrew Dames and Michael Dunk. Cosmo Cattell and Clara O’Callaghan were given suspended sentences.

Adelheid Russenberger was sentenced to 30 months and Jane Touil to 20 months, with no costs. Each will serve 40% in custody. Andrew Dames and Michael Dunk will each serve 40% of 26 months and must pay £2,480 and £4,380 in costs respectively. Cosmo Catterall and Clara O’Callaghan were each sentenced to 20 months suspended for 2 years with 200 hours of unpaid work and £750 prosecution costs.

Three of the Just Stop Oil group had already spent time on remand in 2022 following the action. Adelheid Russenberger and Jane Touil spent 42 days and 5 days respectively in Bronzefield prison. Michael Dunk was remanded for 8 days. Whilst on bail in 2022, Cosmo Cattell spent 94 days living under a curfew and Michael Dunk 187 days. The Judge indicated that previous time on remand would be deducted from these sentences.

Mitigation

Speaking in mitigation today, Adelheid Russenberger, 34, a history PhD student from London said:

I believe that I acted morally and according to my conscience.

There is no justice in climate breakdown and without a stable climate no-one can live, let alone thrive.

I climbed onto the gantry to try and prevent the government’s disastrous plans to license more North Sea Oil and gas extraction – oil and gas that would have pushed us closer to lethal irreversible tipping points.

I climbed on a gantry because I refused to ignore that basic moral principle of acting to protect life.

Also speaking in mitigation, Jane Touil, 59, a visually impaired former crown servant from Rochdale, said:

We are in an unprecedented situation. Yet the law says our protest was not justified. Not necessary. Not reasonable or proportionate.

Disruption from flooding, extreme heat, extreme weather and wildfires is not a public nuisance. I am.

The law will not save us. I have always tried to live and act according to my conscience. I call on everyone in this courtroom and in this country to do the same.

Politicians will not make the change we need, but we can.

The judge’s position

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Perrins said that it would be wholly wrong to take the individual actions of each defendant in isolation. He said each knowingly took part in a much broader plan to cause as much disruption as possible.

Together the Just Stop Oil protests had eventually affected approximately 228,000 vehicles and caused 18,000 hours of vehicle delays. They affected nearly a quarter of a million people who were trying to go about their daily lives.

He said he was satisfied having heard the evidence that not one of the defendants took seriously the impact they had caused.

However, he noted that the defendants had acted on their conscience which would lessen their culpability.

No regrets

Speaking ahead of the sentencing, Clara O’Callaghan, 21, a recent graduate from Edinburgh said:

I have no regrets. I took action because I felt I had no choice.

By planning to license new oil and gas, our government was prepared to recklessly destroy my future and drive us even faster towards mass crop failure, starvation, water scarcity and war.

Civil resistance and mass disruption gave us a chance of forcing them to change. I was willing to risk prison because it is nothing compared to what is coming down the road.

I could not sit by and do nothing whilst this horror unfolds.

Touil added:

I am at peace with all the decisions I have made and the actions I have taken in support of love, life, humanity and a liveable future.

In the worst crisis humanity has ever faced, the government chose to legislate to silence dissent, rather than implementing policies to avert disaster.

People of conscience are imprisoned, while others remain free to continue destroying our life support systems.

Andrew Dames, 63, a Quaker, engineer and father of four from Cambridge, said:

Our government’s continued commitment to No New Oil that we and the country asked for – that is all that matters.

And a Just Stop Oil spokesperson summed up:

In 2024 Just Stop Oil successfully won its original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’ and on March 27th 2025 announced an end to the campaign of action.

However, our supporters will continue to tell the truth in court, to speak out for our political prisoners and to help build what comes next.

Featured image via Just Stop Oil

By The Canary

This post was originally published on Canary.