Climate activists guilty of smashing Barclays HQ windows spared jail

Seven climate change activists who were found guilty of causing more than £100,000 of damage by smashing windows at the headquarters of Barclays Bankwere spared jail by a judge.

Zoe Cohen, 52, Carol Wood, 53, Sophie Cowen, 31, Lucy Porter, 48, Gabriella Ditton, 28, Rosemary Webster, 64, and another protester, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were charged with criminal damage and pleaded not guilty.

They were convicted and given suspended sentences on Friday.

The women had used chisels and hammers to break glass panels on the exterior of the building in Canary Wharf in London on 7 April 2021, Southwark crown court heard.

They wore patches that read “better broken windows than broken promises” as they placed stickers stating “in case of climate emergency break glass” on the windows of the bank.

Diana Wilson, prosecuting, said: “We have spoken to Barclays and they do seek compensation.”

Owen Greenhall, representing Wood and the unnamed protester, said: “The trial process is something that has had a significant impact on both my clients and is not something they…