You can travel by train but don’t glue yourself to it, judge tells climate protest pensioner
AN OCTOGENARIAN climate change protester has had his bail conditions relaxed so he can travel to a London court by train “as long as no one is glued to it”, a judge joked.
Philip Kingston, an 83-year-old grandfather, appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates’ court yesterday where he pleaded not guilty to obstruction by gluing himself to a DLR train in Canary Wharf on Thursday during the Extinction Rebellion protests.
Owen Greenhall, defending, asked Judge Susan Williams for the bail conditions to be relaxed to allow Mr Kingston, of Patchway, South Gloucestershire, to arrive in London the day before his appearance in a crown court.
Ms Williams replied: “There’s a quick service from Bristol – if no one’s glued to the train.”
She then agreed to relax the curfew conditions in his case, adding: “Quite frankly, how you got up to the roof of that train, Mr Kingston, I don’t know, but your knees are obviously better than mine.”
Mr Kingston was one of six Christian Climate Action members charged with obstructing trains or carriages on the railway by an unlawful act. The bail conditions he faces include an 11pm to 7am curfew and not entering the area bounded by the M25, except if it involves meeting his lawyers or attending church services.
Ms Williams said: “I take the view that this matter is too serious to be tried in this court so I’m allocating your case to the crown court.”
Mr Kingston will appear at Blackfriars Crown Court on May 23.
He appeared alongside Nick Cooper, a 37-year-old Northampton University shoemaking teacher.
When asked his nationality, Mr Cooper told the court, “I don’t recognise nationality”, before acknowledging he held a British passport.
Three other activists from the Extinction Rebellion group have previously appeared in court charged over a separate scaling of a DLR train in Canary Wharf.