David Lambert, a parks and gardens conservationist from Stroud, was one of six defendants cleared by a jury of criminal damage after a two-week trial in 2021. As part of the Extinction Rebellion protests, he and others had broken windows, spilt fake oil over the front of the Shell building on the South Bank and sprayed messages on the wall about the climate crisis.

“At my trial at Southwark Crown Court”, he wrote recently, “I found myself unexpectedly moved by the appearance of the jury when they walked in: mainly women, several people of colour, almost all younger than I. I felt grateful for their time and confident of a fair hearing and verdict.” He told the jury as much during the trial, stating: “I am glad that a verdict on what we did is entrusted to you. You are our community, and I am glad of it.” Lambert said that “in order to make our defence directly to our peers on the jury”, he and his co-defendants “dispensed with lawyers and represented ourselves”.

In written evidence to the Commons committee considering the Government’s proposed jury reforms, Lambert argued that there was more to justice than black-letter law. “A jury takes into account other factors, most importantly the sworn testimony of the defendant about why they acted as they did.

Lammy wants to get rid of trial by Jury

#defendourjuries