Trudi Warner’s ordeal finally comes to an end

Trudi Warner breathed a sigh of relief today, after her year-and-a-half legal ordeal came to an end. Labour’s new solicitor general has decided not to continue the campaign by her Tory predecessor to prosecute Trudi for contempt of court – just for holding a placard. The prosecution attempt was adopted after Judge Silas Reid claimed she was “trying to influence the jury” outside his trial of climate crisis protesters.

Mr Justice Saini ruled in May that there was no basis to take action against Trudi – a retired social worker and gardening enthusiast. Trudi’s sign, which read “Jurors: you have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience”, reflected a 300-year-old legal principle also written on a plaque on the Old Bailey. Saini accused the government’s solicitor general of “significantly mischaracter[ising] the evidence”, when his lawyers alleged Trudi behaved in an intimidating manner, confronting potential jurors outside the court. 

Hundreds of supporters of Trudi staged demonstrations holding the same signs as Trudi outside courts around the country, asking to be prosecuted as well, and protesting the government’s wider campaign to crack down on freedoms of assembly and expression – policies branded by the UN as deeply troubling.

“I can go back to my gardening and learn a language…maybe!” Trudi said, in reaction to the news. She expressed her thanks to her counsel and supporters for helping her get through the case, adding she hoped they could turn to concentrating on “helping all the others already in prison”. 

Good Law Project and our supporters have been proud to stand with Trudi and speak up about the cruel and irrational scapegoating of her by the Tory government. We’re pleased to see Labour signal what we hope is the start of a more rational approach to handling peaceful protesters, instead of lumping them together with violent far-right rioters in the way the Tories and Lord Walney have.

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