Just Stop Oil protesters who invaded Lords cricket pitch guilty of trespass | UK News

Three Just Stop Oil protesters have been found guilty of aggravated trespass after invading the pitch during a cricket match.

Judit Murray, Daniel Knorr, and Jacob Bourne stopped the Ashes match at Lord’s cricket grounds on June 28 by running onto the pitch and spreading orange powder.

Play was stopped for about five minutes while staff made sure the grounds were not damaged.

The trio, who said they wanted to create headlines for their climate change protest and did not want to cause disruption or damage the pitch, were found guilty after a trial at the City of London magistrates’ court.

England player Jonny Bairstow carried Knorr off the pitch, while champagne corks and fruit were thrown by cricket fans at Bourne as he was led off the field and Murray was tackled before she could reach the wicket and held down on the grass.

District judge Neeta Minhas said she was satisfied the trio had breached the well-publicised rules which state that ticket-holders cannot trespass, go on to the field of play or stage demonstrations.

She said: ‘From my own common sense perspective, as soon as you have gone over the barrier you have gone beyond the area of the ticket you have been given.’

The judge, who said ‘the aim was to cause disruption to the game’, added: ‘I am satisfied the three of them proactively did trespass on private property which was a playing field, that you disrupted or intended to disrupt a legal activity.

‘The defences put forward on your behalf have not been successful. I find you all guilty of aggravated trespass.’

Nick Rowe, the security operations manager at Lord’s, said the protesters got ‘very close’ to the wicket and play had to stop for a short period immediately after the incident.

He said he was near the Allen Stand at the ground when ‘an unexpected roar from the crowd, much louder than you would expect from a first over’ alerted him that something was wrong.

He told the court: ‘I heard a roar from the crowd. Obviously there were people on the pitch. There was a big cloud of orange powder in the air.’

Mr Rowe said he could see that play had stopped and the stewarding team ran towards the group of people who had been detained.

One of the men was detained on the ground before being taken away, while another was carried off the grass by Mr Bairstow.

Mr Rowe added: ‘When I had taken the gentleman from the pitch, my main concern really was for his safety.

‘The crowd were really “anti” – there was a couple of champagne corks thrown at him and a bit of fruit.’

Murray, 69, of Plough Road, West Ewell, Surrey; Knorr, 21, of Green Street, Oxford; and Bourne, 27, of Moorland Road, Hyde Park, Leeds, were conditionally bailed ahead of being sentenced at Westminster magistrates’ court on October 24.

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