Extinction Rebellion activist Paul Sheeky in court for road blocks

Paul Sheeky, an activist in support of the Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain movements, is no stranger to controversial action.

The 46-year-old, of Wellfield Street in Whitecross, was spared jail after appearing before the High Court in December for his role in protests which brought the M25 to a halt.

In an interview with the Warrington Guardian, he explained how he was prepared to be sent to prison in his stand against what he believed was inaction to address the climate crisis.

Sheeky appeared back in court in London on Friday, May 13, over further charges of blocking major roads in the name of environmental campaigning.

His cases were heard before Stratford Magistrates’ Court after being charged with three counts of wilful obstruction of a highway.

He was also sentenced on two counts of committing a further offence while subject to a conditional discharge, and then re-sentenced for those offences.

The first highway obstruction charge related to blocking the A10 Waltham Cross Interchange off junction 25 of the M25 on October 1 last year.

Three days later, Sheeky blocked another highway, namely A102 Junction at Lochnagar Street in London, and then again a month later on November 4 on Bridge Street, Parliament Street and St Margaret Street in Parliament Square in the City of Westminster.

For those three crimes, he was ordered by magistrates to pay a total of £830, broken down into fines of £750, a surcharge to fund victim services of £95 and costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £85.

Paul Sheeky (left end) with his Insulate Britain co-defendants at the High Court (Image: PA)

He committed the offences while the subject of two conditional discharges – one for wilfully obstructing another highway and the other for graffitiing Warrington Conservatives’ office.

The road blocking conditional discharge was imposed by Sefton Magistrates’ Court in May last year for a period of 12 months.

It came after Sheeky was part of a group which blocked a printing press in Knowsley responsible for the distribution of national titles including The Times, Daily Mail and The Sun. For the breach, he was fined a further £100.

The other 12-month discharge was handed down by Warrington magistrates in March last year for criminal damage.

Sheeky daubed messages including ‘Covid failure, climate failure’, ‘citizens assembly now’, ‘tell the truth’ and ‘power to the people’ across windows at Warrington Conservative Association on Wilderspool Causeway earlier that month.

The logo of climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion was also graffitied onto the front door.

Representing himself in court, the defendant told magistrates: “Parliament declared a climate emergency almost two years ago, and yet our Government continues to pursue policies that will increase carbon levels in the atmosphere.

“Our Government is failing to protect us from climate catastrophe.

“The action I undertook on March 13 was a legitimate and proportionate act of conscientious protest against a Government that is wilfully acting in a manner that is harmful to the people of Britain, the nation of Britain and future generations of British citizens.”

As a result of breaching the sentence, the defendant was made the subject of a community order, including an electronically monitored curfew for three months.

He was previously sentenced for spray painting graffiti on the windows of Warrington Conservatives’ office

His December High Court appearance came after he breached an injunction barring M25 protests and was deemed to be in contempt of court.

Speaking to the Warrington Guardian before being sentenced to a two-month suspended jail term, he said: “Everything else has been tried.

“There have been people doing this for 30 years, signing all the petitions and going on marches, but they are not listened to and it has not made a difference.

“That is why we have to use non-violence and civil disobedience, and it is always non-violent.

“The way the Government is acting is just insane when you look at the science and what they are doing, and even what their own climate change committee says they should be doing, they are just not performing at all.”

He added: “Of course we do not want to be doing any of this stuff. It is really difficult actually as you want to let people past, but unless there is disruption, you are ignored.

“It will not get reported if you just hold a banner or something, so you have to do something disruptive to get the message out there.

“I am quite scared (about the prospect of prison), but I do not see any other choice as I have literally tried everything single thing else.”