Climate activists cleared in UK of charges in rooftop protest at Sunak’s estate

Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Four Greenpeace activists who were arrested for scaling the country estate of former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year to protest his oil and gas drilling expansion plans have been cleared of criminal charges. A York Magistrates’ Court judge dismissed the charges Friday after finding the evidence was too “tenuous” to convict them of criminal damage for allegedly cracking slate tiles on Sunak’s North Yorkshire roof. A defense lawyer argued that testimony by a roofer who worked for Sunak was unreliable and that areas of the roof untouched by the protesters also showed signs of damage.