A climate activist who mounted a table during the World Snooker Championship and covered it with orange powder said his criminal conviction was “absolutely worth it” after he avoided a prison sentence.between Robert Milkins and Joe Perry at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre on 17 April last year.
Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard ex-museum worker Reid, 53, tried to do the same thing on the other table but was tackled by referee Olivier Marteel. “I’ve been to prison twice before and it’s not going to deter us because we’re facing a climate crisis,” he said. A victim impact statement from Simon Brownell, the chief executive of the World Snooker Tour, said the defendants had tried to “destroy” the event “without a care in the world for the thousands of people who had saved their money to attend the event”.In mitigation for Whittingham, who has a previous conviction for aggravated trespass, the court heard the substance was a “starch-based powder, chosen not to cause maximum damage but simply to have a visual effect as part of the protest”.
District Judge Curtis said the protest was meticulously planned “to obtain maximum publicity for the cause you believe in”.