Two protesters in March 2015 subvertised two Heathrow advertising hoardings, and removed one Heathrow poster from a bus stop. They changed one massive hoarding, on a road close to Heathrow, that said “Those living around us are behind us” to say “Those living around us are CHOKING.” Another billboard with the slogan “Expand Heathrow and you grow the economy by up to £211 billion” was changed to say “Expand Heathrow and you grow the economy by destroying homes.” The two men, Larry Rose and Joe McGahan, were tried at Isleworth Crown Court and found guilty. They were charged with criminal damage. They pleaded not guilty, and defended themselves using the defence of lawful excuse. They had attempted to alter Heathrow’s fraudulent billboards in order to portray a more accurate reality of the harm and misery Heathrow’s expansion would bring to local residents and the environment. They cited evidence of the health impact of air pollution around Heathrow, and the increased carbon emissions that an extra runway would cause. The two were given conditional discharges and fines totalling £2,640 – of which £1,200 was to Heathrow to pay for cleaning up. Both adverts were subsequently found to be misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority, and Heathrow was told to withdraw them.
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Heathrow third runway poster graffiti protesters given conditional discharge after guilty verdicts
16.6.2016 (Get West London)
Two men who defaced a Heathrow Airport billboard proclaiming the economic benefits of a third runway were allowed to walk free form court after being found guilty in court.
Joseph McGahan, 29, and Lawrence Rose, 32, were convicted by a jury at Isleworth Crown Court of three counts of destroying or damaging property worth £5,000 or less, and one count of having articles with intent to damage or destroy property. [The 3 charges of criminal damage are under section 1 of the Criminal Damage Act 1971 and the charge of ‘going equipped’ is section 4 of the same act.]
They were handed 12-month conditional discharges, with Rose, from Cookham in Maidenhead, told to pay £1,615 and his co-defendant, of no fixed address, £1,040.
The pair had entered not guilty pleas using the statutory defence of ‘lawful excuse’, represented themselves in the trial that began on Monday (June 13).
According to Nic Ferriday, from West London Friends of the Earth, the men targeted billboards on the perimeter road running around the airport. They changed one poster which read “Those living around us are behind us” to “Those living around us are CHOKING”.
Afterwards, McGahan said: “We attempted to alter Heathrow’s fraudulent billboards in order to portray a more accurate reality of the harm and misery Heathrow’s expansion will bring to local residents and the environment.
“A 2012 study published in Atmospheric Environment found that fifty early deaths a year can be attributed to air pollution from Heathrow.
“This would treble by 2030 if a third runway is built. Residents suffering the loudest aircraft noise from Heathrow also have 10% more strokes and heart disease, a 2013 British Medical Journal paper studying 3.6 million people revealed.
“The ‘subvertising’ was necessary to prevent greater climate crimes. Aviation is the fastest-rising source of UK emissions amid a climate crisis.”
‘Real crime was to challenge Heathrow’
Mr Ferriday was not surprised with the guilty verdict but pleased with the conditional discharge. However, he argued the case was politically motivated.
He said: “The real crime here was challenging Heathrow’s misleading claims about the economic benefits of a Heathrow expansion.
“If they had graffitied some advert for a washing machine in Hounslow High Street it would never have come to this.
“I’m concerned that police and the Crown Prosecution Service are spending money protecting Heathrow’s public relations.”
John Stewart, chairman of local campaign group HACAN, said, “For the last few years we have faced a barrage of adverts from Heathrow in its bid to get a third runway.
“At times it has seemed as if it has been the power and money of the advertising the industry against the people. Joe and Larry have stood up for the people.”
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From Plane Stupid on Facebook
16.6.2016
Where is the criminal offence for Heathrow? More evidence that the law serves to protect corporate interests over the lives and homes of the people.
“For the last few years we have faced a barrage of adverts from Heathrow in its bid to get a third runway. At times it has seemed as if it has been the power and money of the advertising industry against the people. These two artists have stood up for the people.”
JURY CONVICTS HEATHROW EXPANSION AD GRAFFITI ARTISTS
A jury at Isleworth Crown Court today convicted two activists charged with criminal damage on Heathrow airport billboards backing new runways. The adverts have since been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, which concluded that the claims could not be substantiated and were misleading and ordered that the adverts be removed.
The protesters were ordered by Judge Edmunds QC to pay costs of £1615 and £1040 respectively, and sentenced to a twelve month conditional discharge. This means they will only receive a penalty if they are convicted again in the next year. The 12 jurors took 2 hours to find them guilty of 3 counts of criminal damage and 1 of going equipped to cause criminal damage against the property of Heathrow Airports Ltd.
The defendants admitted doing the graffiti as soon as they were arrested, saying they were acting to prevent greater crimes against local residents and all other life on earth. They plead ‘not guilty’, using the statutory defence of ‘lawful excuse’.
“We attempted to alter Heathrow’s fraudulent billboards in order to portray a more accurate reality of the harm and misery Heathrow’s expansion will bring to local residents and the environment. In one of the misleading billboards we defaced, Heathrow claimed ‘Those around us are behind us’, when in reality, those around us are choking”
A 2012 study published in Atmospheric Environment found that fifty early deaths a year can be attributed to air pollution from Heathrow; this would treble by 2030 if a third runway is built. Residents suffering the loudest aircraft noise from Heathrow also have 10% more strokes and heart disease, a 2013 British Medical Journal paper studying 3.6 million people revealed.
“The ‘subvertising’ was necessary to prevent greater climate crimes. Aviation is the fastest-rising source of UK emissions amid a climate crisis.”
The adverts were later banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, which concluded that the claims could not be substantiated and were misleading and ordered that the adverts be removed.
Tracy Howard, a Sipson resident, said: “The reason my home and my daughter’s school haven’t been demolished for new runways is that people took action like this. The ones who should be in court are the Heathrow bosses doing truly criminal damage to our climate and our villages.”
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via Airportwatch http://ift.tt/24UIOur
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