Climate Activist Stopped Traffic On 1 Lane Of Sydney Bridge For 25 Minutes; 8-Month Minimum Sentence
A climate protester who blocked a lane of traffic on Sydney Harbour Bridge has been sentenced to 15 months in prison with a non-parole period of eight months, with human rights advocates labelling the punishment “disproportionate”. Magistrate Allison Hawkins in Sydney’s Downing Centre local court on Friday sentenced Deanna “Violet” Coco to prison for her role in the climate protest on 13 April this year, when the now 32-year-old parked a truck and stood holding a lit flare.
Coco had pleaded guilty to seven charges including using or modifying an authorised explosive not as prescribed and resisting a police offer during arrest. She was also fined $2,500. Her protest blocked one of the bridge’s five city-bound lanes during the morning peak for about 25 minutes, before police removed her and others.
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The activist will appeal against the sentence. She was refused bail on Friday and will remain in custody until her appeal hearing in March. Coco was granted bail after her initial arrest and, according to her lawyer Mark Davis, she had complied with all bail requirements since. Davis said it was “outrageous” his client had been refused bail before her appeal was heard.
“It is just extraordinary to me,” Davis said. “You always get appeals bail unless you’re a violent offender and you haven’t abided by the terms of your bail. In the months she had been on bail she had done everything – always attended court.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/02/climate-activist-who-blocked-traffic-on-sydney-harbour-bridge-jailed-for-at-least-eight-months