‘Reckless’ Greenpeace activists who climbed Rishi Sunak’s roof heard in court

Four Greenpeace activists accused of causing criminal damage to former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's constituency home were described as "reckless" when they climbed onto the roof during an anti-oil protest, a court heard.

Amy Rugg-Easey, 33, Alexandra Wilson, 32, Mathieu Soete, 38, and Michael Grant, 64, are on trial for a demonstration that took place last year at Sunak's North Yorkshire mansion.

The activists draped the house in black fabric and displayed a banner reading "no new oil".

Prosecutors stated that the five-hour protest caused damage to 15 roof tiles, resulting in nearly £3,000 in repairs at the property located in Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton.

York Magistrates Court heard that Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty, and their two daughters were on holiday during the protest, but staff at the residence were "shocked" to find the activists in the grounds on the morning of August 3.

"The allegation is that during the protest staged on the roof of a private property, these defendants caused damage to tiles and were at the very least reckless as to doing so", Prosecutor Victoria Ailes said.

The Grade II-listed property, built in 1826, was purchased by Sunak after he became the Conservative MP for the Richmond constituency in 2015.

Footage presented in court showed the defendants sitting on the roof, and pictures highlighted the damaged tiles. A roofer who inspected the property almost two weeks after the protest identified 15 damaged tiles, noting the damage appeared recent due to "weathering and coloration".

District Judge Adrian Lower was shown the footage and images, with Ms. Ailes explaining that the damage locations matched where the defendants had been.

A statement from a gardener at the property said Scott Hall, the private chief of staff for the Murty-Sunak family, was 'shocked' when he discovered the Greenpeace activists on the grounds.

Hall confronted one of the protesters who had not climbed on the roof, telling them they needed to leave, but the activist insisted they would stay until their protest was done.

Hall, who was in another building on the property, called the police within minutes of discovering the protest. The activists remained on site until about 1pm. Later that day, the police informed him of the damage.

Defense lawyer Owen Greenhall showed Hall pictures of damaged roof tiles in areas where he claimed the protesters had not been. Hall acknowledged the cracks shown in the images were new to him, and the family had not claimed insurance for the damage, instead paying £1,450 to tree surgeons booked for work that day.

Greenhall argued that any damage was pre-existing and that the defendants did not intentionally cause it.

The four defendants deny the charges of criminal damage.