Australia
His 15-month jail term for obstructing traffic is set aside
An environmentalist has been fined for stopping a lorry on a Sydney bridge. A judge found her not a danger and released her.
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Violet Coco ignited a spark on the roof of a lorry on the Sydney Bridge.
Screenshot Sky News
In December 2022, Violet Coco was sentenced 15 months in jail Along with other environmentalists, for stopping a lorry on Sydney Bridge to disrupt traffic. She climbs onto the roof and lights a distress flare to warn of a climate emergency. The punishment was considered disproportionate and prompted several demonstrations of support.
The activist appealed, but the judge refused to release him on bail pending the outcome of this appeal. This last decision was overturned and Violet Coco was released, but only after 15 days in prison.
She did not block the ambulance
This Wednesday, March 15, Judge Mark Williams ruled on the appeal. Mark Williams said the scale of the disruption had been exaggerated when the first judge during the 32-year-old’s trial said she had “brought the whole city into misery by her selfish actions”. BBC. He also questioned the police’s claim at the time that the protest blocked the ambulance. So Violet claimed that Koko had been imprisoned “on a false factual basis”. He therefore quashed his sentence on condition that he be of good behavior for 12 months.
The activist now wants to seek compensation from the police for his imprisonment. A protester who came with violet cocoa was also given a reduced sentence.
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