At the end of January we reported on protests outside the Royal Courts of Justice at an appeal brought by Just Stop Oil activists against lengthy jail sentences handed down last year for disrupting traffic on the M25.

Now the Lady Chief Justice has issued a written judgment reducing some of the longest sentences but upholding many others.  The appellants and their supporters view the judgment as better than nothing but not going nearly far enough, and reflecting the overly harsh sentencing regime for peaceful environmental protests introduced by the previous Conservative government, and which the current Labour government  shows no signs of wishing to undo.  The reduction by one year of a five-year sentence for obstructing traffic doesn't quite match up to the ringing headline description of Roger Hallam's sentence as "manifestly excessive".

The lawyer who represented many of the protesters, Raj Chada, . . . said: “The small reduction in the case of Roger Hallam recognises the extraordinarily excessive sentences that continue to be given out to protesters in England. It is, however, extremely disappointing that many of the other sentences were upheld.

“No country in Europe gives such draconian sentences for peaceful protests, proving we are out of kilter with the rest of the civilised world. We are reviewing the judgment and considering an appeal to the supreme court.”

'The Guardian'   7 March   Damien Gayle

BBC News   7 March     Dominic Casciani