Key cases for jury equity

Jury equity has led to acquittals for a man who avenged the death of his son, and for accomplices who didn’t stand trial for 24 years (see pp. 13–15). There are numerous other cases illustrating the ability of the jury to return verdicts according to conscience. These include environmental activists and peace campaigners as well as cases involving the possession and supply of cannabis for medical purposes

Toby Olditch and Philip Pritchard were acquitted of conspiring to cause criminal damage at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. The two peace activists used bolt cutters to break through a perimeter fence in order to damage the engines of B-52 bombers prior to the outbreak of the Iraq War in 2003. The campaigners argued they were trying to prevent war crimes that would result from the indiscriminate use of cluster bombs.

Four female peace campaigners were acquitted after causing £1.5 million of damage to a Hawk jet fighter destined for export to Indonesia. The defendants argued they were seeking to protect the civilian population of East Timor, which at the time was under illegal occupation by the Indonesian military regime.