Archive - Wednesday, 10 September 2003


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Peace protestors to appear at Crown Court

PEACE protesters who are asking a Gloucestershire judge to decide whether the war with Iraq was legal, will reappear in court next week.

Seven campaigners, who were arrested for offences in and around RAF Fairford earlier this year, will face charges ranging from criminal damage to going equipped to cause criminal damage on Friday, September 19.

They are due to attend a plea and directions hearing at Gloucester Crown Court, but they claim the war was illegal and their actions were carried out to prevent a crime.

Dr Margaret Jones, Arthur Milling, Phillip Pritchard, Toby Olditch, Kate Holcombe, Josh Richards and Geoffrey Cornock all live out of the county, but visited Fairford during the conflict.

The base was used as a launching pad for bombing raids by B-52 aircraft and many anti-war campaigners set up camp outside the perimeter fence.

At an earlier hearing, Jamie Tabor QC, who is the resident judge at Gloucester admitted it would be a "disconcerting" proposition to make a ruling on the legality of the war.