Activists who sprayed Stonehenge with orange powder cleared following trial

Three Just Stop Oil activists who sprayed Stonehenge with orange powder have been cleared of criminal damage following a trial.

Rajan Naidu, 74, Oxford University student Niamh Lynch, 23, and Luke Watson, 36, were involved in the protest a day before last year's Summer Solstice. Mr Naidu and Ms Lynch had been accused of using two colour blasters filled with cornflour, talc and an orange dye to spray the World Heritage Site.

Mr Watson had bought the equipment used in the attack and had driven his co-accused to Stonehenge that morning. The activists accepted taking part in the protest and cited in their defence "reasonable excuse" and their rights under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights to freedom of speech and freedom to protest.

They denied charges of damaging an ancient protected monument and causing a public nuisance during the trial at Salisbury Crown Court. All three were acquitted following a 10-day trial at Salisbury Crown Court.

'I just want things to be better' Following the acquittal, Mr Naidu said: "The judicial system must wake up and begin to play its shamefully neglected role in defending us and other species from rapacious billionaire class climate criminals. "We need a global Fossil Fuel Non-proliferation Treaty right now." Mr Naidu and Ms Lynch had sat in silence in front of the stones until they were arrested, wearing white T-shirts.

The court heard the stones were promptly cleaned and the costs of removing the powder totalled £620. Read more:Just Stop Oil protesters disrupt The TempestJust Stop Oil target Charles Darwin grave Ms Lynch, now a masters student in ecology and conservation at the University of Exeter, said: "I just want things to be better, I just want things to be fair and right.

"If you see something you love being hurt, you do everything you can to help. It's quite simple.

It's totally natural. "I might not be able to do much but I categorically refuse to do nothing.

I refuse to stand by and watch as our world burns around us." Mr Watson, a carpenter, added: "I'm glad of the verdict but feel the last two weeks have been a complete waste of public money and that a case involving £620 of damage should have been dealt with in the magistrates court.".