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image captionThe Stansted 15 - pictured here with one member missing - tried to stop an aircraft being used to deport people to Africa
Protesters who broke into Stansted Airport to stop a plane deporting people to Africa will face no further action through the courts.
The group, known as the Stansted 15, cut through the perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet in 2017.
They won an appeal against their convictions last month.
On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said it would not appeal against the decision. There will be no further action on this case, the statement added.
‘Stansted 15’ have convictions overturned
Top Story
January 30, 2021
LONDON: Protesters taken to court after preventing a deportation flight from taking off from Stansted Airport have had their convictions overturned by the Court of Appeal.
The so-called “Stansted 15” cut through the Essex airport’s perimeter fence in March 2017 and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet chartered by the Home Office to transport people from UK detention centres for repatriation to Africa.
They were convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court in December 2018 of the intentional disruption of services at an aerodrome under the Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 (Amsa) – and the following February three were given suspended jail sentences and the others handed community orders.
A GROUP of protestors taken to court after preventing a deportation flight from taking off at Stansted have had their convictions overturned on appeal. The so-called Stansted 15 cut through the airport’s perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet chartered by the Home Office to transport people from UK detention centres for repatriation to Africa. They were later convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court of an offence arising out of the March 2017 incident. Three were given suspended jail sentences and the other 12 were handed community orders. The group were granted permission to appeal against their convictions in August 2019 and a three-day hearing took place before the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, sitting with Mr Justice Jay and Mrs Justice Whipple, in November.
A GROUP of protestors taken to court after preventing a deportation flight from taking off at Stansted have had their convictions overturned on appeal. The so-called Stansted 15 cut through the airport’s perimeter fence and locked themselves together around a Boeing 767 jet chartered by the Home Office to transport people from UK detention centres for repatriation to Africa. They were later convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court of an offence arising out of the March 2017 incident. Three were given suspended jail sentences and the other 12 were handed community orders. The group were granted permission to appeal against their convictions in August 2019 and a three-day hearing took place before the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, sitting with Mr Justice Jay and Mrs Justice Whipple, in November.