The Crown Prosecution Service has abandoned its case against a protestor alleged to have damaged course markers for the London 2012 equestrian events in Greenwich Park.
Edward Hill, 62, was accused of causing criminal damage to the white feather markers in Greenwich Park with a kitchen knife.
He pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Woolwich Magistrates Court last month and opted to be tried by jury at Crown Court. Dave Townsend, for the Prosecution had told magistrates: “This is our first anti-Olympics case.”
Prosecutors have now decided not to go ahead with the trial. A CPS London spokesperson said:
“During the life of a case the Crown Prosecution Service has a duty to keep cases under regular review.
“At a very early stage in the proceedings a review of this case concluded that it was not in the public interest to pursue a prosecution through the court as punishment in the form of a caution would be a suitable alternative.
“As such the case has been discontinued.”
Ed was for a time Artist in Residence for Greenwich Park. Mark Chandler has interviewed him since the CPS dropped all charges
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/lewgreen/8680290.GREENWICH__Park_Olympics_protestor_has_court_case_dropped/
The CPS has a cheek, saying only now that “punishment in the form of a caution would be a suitable alternative” – Ed has already had his finger-prints and DNA taken, and we all know how long it will be before those are removed from the police database, even though the CPS has dropped all charges.
Also, to be fair to Ed, he is not “anti-Olympics”. The Crown Prosecutor was asked in writing to withdraw that prejudicial remark but he refused, saying only that he noted that Ed shared the educational and health ideals of the Olympic Charter and, as Ed said, his actions were not in any sense generally ‘anti-Olympics’ but solely to prevent further damage to Greenwich Park from the works that are taking place due to the decision to hold the Olympic Equestrian Event there.
If you are going to go into a park with a knife and cutting stuff to make a point, it’s hardly surprising that someone else decides also to make a point.
The course markers – and all the cross-country course ground preparation – is unauthorised development by LOCOG. Planning condition 1 has been neither discharged nor varied.