Six protestors found guilty of public nuisance following British Grand Prix track invasion at Silverstone

Protestors who entered the British Grand Prix track and Silverstone during the race have been found guilty of conspiracy to cause public nuisance.

The Silverstone six all pleaded not guilty to public nuisance, but were found guilty by a jury after a three week trial at Northampton Crown Court. The jury returned its guilty verdict on Friday February 10.

Armed with glue and intending to glue themselves to the floor, the five of them managed to walk onto the tarmac and sit down on the live race track.

List of those found guilty

David Baldwin, aged 47, from Witney

Emily Brockebank, aged 24, from Leeds

Alasdair Gibson, aged 22, from Aberdeen

Louis McKechnie, aged 22, from Manchester

Bethany Mogie, aged 40, from St Albans

Joshua Smith, aged 29, from Manchester

Baldwin was stopped by a marshal as he began to climb over the fence. Superglue was later found concealed in his sock.

Northamptonshire Police said following the court hearing that the protestors’ intentions were thwarted by “quick-to-act” marshals who swiftly dragged the five off the track before all six were arrested.

Lead Investigator – Detective Sergeant Cory Wise said: “The actions of these six people could have had fatal consequences and had it not been for an incident at the beginning of the race which caused it to be red-flagged, they could have been facing cars going at speeds in excess of 200mph.

“They not only put their lives at risk but also those of the drivers, as well as the many marshals, volunteers and members of the public. This is completely unacceptable, whatever the cause or the reason, and we will always pursue action against people like this.

“Protesting is of course everyone’s human right in this country and we clearly communicated to this group before race day that we were more than willing to work with them to facilitate something peaceful, that didn’t endanger people’s lives, however they chose not to listen.

“I am pleased therefore that all six were found guilty today by the jury and I hope this case shows the seriousness with which we take incidents like this and that anything that puts innocent members of the public at risk will not be tolerated.”

All six will be sentenced at Northampton Crown Court next month.

What happened at the British Grand Prix 2022?

Numerous people were arrested following a protest at Silverstone Circuit during the British Grand Prix on Sunday, July 3, 2022.

The race itself got off to a dramatic start with a crash that saw Zhou Guanyu’s car flip and a red flag raised to stop the race.

During the stop, protesters wearing orange jumpsuits entered the track.

Eyewitnesses at the course say they were “dragged off” by security and police.

Northamptonshire Police later confirmed that seven people were arrested and placed in custody. The force said it offered to “facilitate a peaceful event” at the circuit after receiving intelligence two days prior that a protest was planned.

Environmental activist group Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for the protest. The group tweeted at the time: “If you are more outraged about this disruption than our world being burnt before our eyes, then you need to get your priorities straight.”