“It would have been utterly unjust to jail Tina Rothery, who has shown exceptional courage protecting her community from the threat of fracking. Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Greens, said: “Today marks a great victory for everyone who believes in the right to peaceful protest and the fight against climate change. Rothery, who stood against George Osborne for the Green party in Tatton during the general election, has attracted a number of high-profile supporters, including the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and the actor Emma Thompson.Īfter the verdict, the Green party gave Rothery lifetime membership “in recognition of her bravery”. The judge made it very clear Cuadrilla had brought us into the courtroom.” She added: “Cuadrilla offloaded to the media all week that it was nothing to do with them. If my circumstances change in the future then that may change. Her supporters waited outside the building for the case to finish, with placards and drums at the ready.Įmerging victorious, Rothery sprayed the crowd with champagne and told onlookers: “The judge has discharged the order against me. More than 150 supporters marched with Rothery to the Preston court, where she faced a 90-minute hearing in closed chambers. “The position will be kept under review and revisited should Ms Rothery’s financial circumstances change.” “The outstanding costs were awarded against Ms Rothery in October 2014 for wasting court time by failing to submit a defence after asking for a time extension in order to do so, the debt will remain unpaid and we will not pursue costs whilst she clearly has no assets to make any payment. A barrister attended court on behalf of the judgment creditors (Cuadrilla and the landowners) as the court required him to do so. The company was granted the injunction to prevent activists from entering land throughout the Fylde peninsula in Lancashire in October 2014, and part of its legal costs were awarded against Rothery as the only named defendant in the case.Ī spokesperson for Cuadrilla said on Friday: “Having previously been found in contempt of court, Ms Rothery has today attended court and complied with the court’s order to provide information as to her financial means, thus purging her contempt. Photograph: Christopher Thomond for the Guardian View image in fullscreen Tina Louise Rothery – the Green party candidate – with Tory candidate George Osborne and Labour candidate David Pinto-Duschinsky in a hustings for the Tatton constituency at the 2015 general election. In August 2014 a group calling themselves the Nanas, of which Rothery was a member, staged a three-week anti-fracking occupation of a field near Blackpool that was being considered for shale gas exploration.Ĭuadrilla, which had rented the field from a farmer, argued that the occupation caused disruption and distress to the farmer’s family and his business, and applied for an injunction to prevent further protests in the area. “She is effectively being bullied by a multinational, against one individual who had the courage to stand up and say: ‘I’m standing here for everybody,’” he said, adding: “They have instructed expensive city solicitors to gun her down.”Īppearing at Blackpool district registry in June, Rothery refused on principle to provide evidence of her financial means in order to avoid paying the fees and was held in contempt of court.Īppearing at Preston combined court on Friday, she provided evidence that she could not pay the fees and the contempt charge was dropped. Paul Ridge, a partner at the law firm Bindmans, who provided legal advice to Rothery, said she was being bullied by the fracking firm, and many professional lawyers would have struggled with the complexities of such a legal process.
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