XR activist, 38, who caused more than £300,000 damage when she and four others attacked JPMorgan HQ with hammers and chisels is jailed

A Extinction rebellion An activist who caused more than £300,000 worth of damage after she and five others attacked JPMorgan’s European headquarters with hammers and chisels has been jailed for 10 months.

Amy Pritchard, 38, along with Stephanie Aylett, 29, Adelheid Russenberger, 32, Rosemary Webster, 66, and Pamela Bellinger, 66, smashed the custom-made revolving door and a large glass panel at the entrance to the Victoria Embankment offices of the American bank broken. in the city of London.

Pritchard told Inner London Crown Court that JP Morgan’s policies had led to the deaths of ‘hundreds of thousands of children’.

But Judge Silas Reid had asked the jury to “set aside sympathy or prejudice” as the trial began.

Amy Pritchard, 38, (pictured) told Inner London Crown Court that JP Morgan’s policies had led to the deaths of ‘hundreds of thousands of children’

The group of five XR protesters smashed windows and a revolving glass door at JPMorgan headquarters

He said: ‘You may have an opinion about those actions or organizations, you may have an opinion about climate change.

‘This is not a trial about climate change. It is a lawsuit about criminal damages.

‘It’s nothing more than that and nothing less.’

Pritchard, former medical device representative Aylett, PhD student Russenberger, retired chef and beekeeper Webster and vegetable grower Bellinger were convicted of causing criminal damage after a two-week trial.

Judge Reid sentenced Pritchard to 12 months in prison, but reduced the term to 10 months due to prison overcrowding.

The remaining four defendants were given suspended sentences and ordered to carry out a total of 330 hours of unpaid work.

All five women have appealed their convictions.

Prosecutor Brett Weaver previously said the activists found their way to JP Morgan early September 1, 2021.

‘One of the security staff on site saw them approaching and recognized that some form of protest was about to take place.

“The suspects climbed over the temporary railings placed in front of the entrance area.

“They started hitting the glass doors of the building with hammers, chisels and other tools.

‘As they did so, cracks began to appear in the glass and one of the hinged doors effectively broke.

‘Security staff tried to lead them away, but it was only when the glass was damaged that the defendants and their companions went back over the temporary railing and onto the street.’

When police arrived on the scene, they found a group of protesters sitting in a circle on the ground in front of the building.

“There were a number of tools on the ground in front of the group, such as hammers and chisels,” the prosecutor said.

Jurors heard that police recovered CCTV footage and several social media posts after the incident.

Mr Weaver said the protesters left behind “damage to the revolving door, one of the hinged doors and the larger glass panel surrounding the hinged door.”

He added: “Pamela Bellinger was seen hitting the revolving door causing damage.

“Amy Pritchard had implements in her hands which she used to hit the hinged door, causing damage.

“Stephanie Aylett was also someone who hit the revolving door.”

When police arrived on the scene, they found a group of protesters sitting in a circle on the ground in front of the building

The prosecutor said Aylett was wearing clothing with a “number of colored marks on it, the most obvious of which was the pink mark on her back that read ‘Deeds, not words.’

He added: ‘Russenberger was seen using implements to strike both the revolving door and the hinged door.’

Jurors were shown an image of Russenberger “moving toward the hinged door and, again, she can be seen bending down near that door and making a striking movement.”

Webster was seen damaging the large glass panel on the front facade of the building, the court heard.

Mr Weaver said: ‘The images and stills therefore show that each defendant, individually and collectively, had damaged the glass windows and doors of the property.

‘Their actions, coupled with the fact that they also had implements intended to damage the glass, show that each of them was part of a coordinated plan to cause both disruption and damage to that building.

‘The damage was considerable due to their actions. The glass doors had to be replaced. More importantly, the large glass panel had to be completely replaced.

“The damage caused by their actions was significant; it cost many thousands of pounds to repair that damage.”

Mr Weaver said the aim of their actions was to ‘disrupt JP Morgan’s legal business and draw attention to their case’.

He added: ‘The question will be whether any, or all, of them had any legal defense to causing such damage.

‘This case is not about the good and bad sides of government climate policy or the activities of financial institutions in the field of fossil fuels.

‘It is also not about whether the motives behind Extinction Rebellion’s actions are right or wrong.’

During legal arguments, Judge Reid had ruled that Aylett and her co-defendants could talk to the jury about their beliefs regarding climate change.

He said: ‘Ms Aylett has the right to tell the jury about her beliefs. She has the right to say what her views on climate change are.

‘I would be shocked if, having previously dealt with Ms Aylett, the jury came to any conclusion other than that she holds her views on climate change with anything other than the utmost honesty.

“They have every right to talk about their beliefs regarding climate change. What they hoped to achieve must be relevant.

‘The depth to which they feel about something is potentially very important.

“What will not happen is that the defendants use the witness stand to promote any protest.”

Testifying Russenberger told jurors, “Protest and direct action can and do lead to change.

“It is through protest and direct action that we have the right to vote, even if we do not own property.

‘Women’s right to vote has led to civil rights in Britain, contributed to anti-apartheid in South Africa, given us LGBT rights and disability rights.

“So breaking windows as part of civil disobedience and direct action could get us the change we need.

“So on August 30th I said yes, I was going to break one of the windows.”

“I had confidence that this was the right thing to do and the JP Morgan board members would see that this was the right thing to do.”

In her closing speech, Russenberger told jurors: “I deny that the damage was criminal, not all damage is criminal.

“I thought about the fact that the JP Morgan board would definitely want to know what was going on.

“The prosecutor said I would damage the building no matter what, but that’s not the case.

“I never suggested that JP Morgan board members knew what they were doing was wrong.

“I damaged a window because I thought the JP Morgan board members would agree to the damage.”

Pritchard, from Walthamstow, Aylett, from St Albans, Herts, Bellinger, from Leicester, Russenberger, from Richmond-upon-Thames, south-west London and Webster, from Dorchester, Dorset, all denied but were convicted of criminal damage .

Natasha Walter, writer and campaigner, said: ‘The women who took this action against the world’s largest financier of fossil fuels are carrying on a vital legacy of non-violent civil disobedience.

“Like the Suffragettes who broke the law to advocate for progressive change, these women should not be seen as criminals.

“The real criminals are those who, despite all the evidence that we are on track to create an unlivable climate for future generations, continue to pour money into oil and gas and drive us into a dangerously warming world.”

Arizona Muse, fashion model, mother and environmental activist said: “I have so much admiration for the progressive, community-minded actions of these brave women waving the XR flag.

“I know we will look back on them in the future and all be grateful for their selflessness and courage.”