Two Just Stop Oil supporters found guilty for M25 gantry actions

Two Just Stop Oil supporters were found guilty of public nuisance at Amersham Crown Court on 22 January. They peacefully climbed gantries on the M25 in 2022, to demand an end to new fossil fuel projects.

Daniel Mifsud and another supporter took action on the M25 on 10 November 2022. They 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.

After a 5 day trial before recorder Nigel Sangster, the pair were found guilty of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance. Sentencing will take place on 13th May 2026. The judge warned the defendants to expect a custodial sentence.

Just Stop Oil’s ‘reasonable excuse’

During the trial the judge allowed the statutory defence of ‘reasonable excuse’. The defendants were also able to include agreed facts about the impacts of the climate crisis in their evidence. This included an extract from a peer reviewed paper from 2020 entitled Future of the human climate niche.

This paper projected that should greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated (as they have) three and a half billion people will face near unlivable conditions, creating a humanitarian catastrophe and mass migration without historical precedent.

Mifsud made the case throughout his hearing that he hadn’t taken action for selfish reasons. Rather his motivation was concern for future generations, particularly his own son.

In giving evidence, Mifsud said:

The year I climbed the gantry, my son was eight years old. Although climate change has been known about for most of my life, it hasn’t been something that defined my life. My deepest sadness is that I know that the effects will be severe and unavoidable during his life – and that his life will be defined by the consequences of climate change [….]

I acted according to my conscience because I could not explain to my son, later in life, that I knew the risks and chose to stay silent. I acted because I knew the issue was urgent and that doing nothing would be wrong.

During his closing speech, Mifsud said:

I am an ordinary person – I am a parent, a scientist by training, community minded – who is deeply concerned about an issue that affects all of us. I am not reckless or selfish. I was not acting out of spite, mischief, or thrill-seeking.

You heard about my background, my values, and how I came to be here. I did not leap straight to this action – it was a decision I made after much thought and consideration.

I took action because signing petitions, writing to MPs, and marches had failed. The warnings from respected world figures were being ignored. I took action because I believed it was the best chance that the government would take notice and reconsider. I took action because my son’s future is precious to me and I have a responsibility to keep him and future generations safe.

In 2024 Just Stop Oil successfully won its original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’. And on March 27 2025 it announced an end to the campaign of action. However, it says supporters will continue to tell the truth in court, speak out for its political prisoners and help build what comes next.

Featured image via Just Stop Oil