A Just Stop Oil protester who caused “mile after mile” of tailbacks on the M25 after climbing up a gantry has been jailed.
Jan Goodey, 57, of Mafeking Road, Brighton, was part of a demonstration on behalf of the climate group which forced authorities to close sections of Britain’s busiest motorway during the morning rush hour on Monday 7 November.
He was sentenced to six months in prison at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday 29 November) after pleading guilty to causing a public nuisance through his protest on an overhead gantry at Junction 16 of the motorway.
Goodey, a journalism lecturer at Kingston University, pleaded guilty on Tuesday 8 November, having received a two-year conditional discharge on Tuesday 27 September for obstructing the highway in a separate protest last year.
District Judge Daniel Benjamin said that Goodey had “flagrantly ignored” previous warnings that his conduct “was not acceptable in a peaceful and democratic society”.
The judge said: “I struggle to see what more the courts could have done to warn you that this type of conduct goes beyond what is legitimate and acceptable by way of peaceful protest.”
He said that to describe the disruption as “significant” was “perhaps an underestimate”, adding that the protest had caused “mile after mile of solid traffic on what is almost certainly the busiest motorway in this country”.
The judge added: “On (Monday) 7 November you deliberately set out to disrupt the lives of individuals doing no more than going about their lawful business.
“You wanted that motorway to come to a halt on that day.”
Goodey, who used to teach at City College, now the Greater Brighton Met, carried out the protest in a high-visibility jacket and used climbing equipment to gain access to the gantry.
The judge told Goodey that his culpability was “particularly high” because “you deliberately set out and equipped yourself to cause the disruption that you did”.
He added that if Goodey’s intention was “not to inconvenience members of the public” there was nothing stopping him from affixing the banner to the gantry and getting down or affixing it to a safer location alongside the motorway.
Goodey, who will spend half of the sentence in custody, with time spent on remand deducted automatically, will be released initially on licence, with post-sentence supervision imposed for a year after release.
He was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge by Monday 31 July 2023.
Get a job
He Did have a job. But I guess he will struggle to get a job now
https://www.kingston.ac.uk/staff/profile/mr-jan-goodey-30/
Not a real job and the idiot deserves jail. Perhaps he can get a job as a Green Party councillor?
A journalism lecturer at Kingston University. Pity the poor students there.
What sad little lives you people must lead. Sean, posting someone’s CV after they have been sent down for trying to awake ignorant people, I’d be surprised if you have friends. And Phoebe, you sound like real understanding and empathetic lady…….
Someone with compassion, empathy and understanding. Rare on this site if the last few comments are anything to go by. And one posting someone’s employment details, who would do that but a loveless and unloved deplorable creature.
– I’m sure you defend what you love, this is an expression of defending your family’s future and the natural world we live in, we all have a responsibility to not allow us to sleep walk towards a dire future for our children, our fellow man, and the worlds wildlife . Good on him for having the courage to speak up on behalf of the countless who care, and for those haters, your children will wonder why you sat back and said nothing (helpful!)
Wearing hi vis- made from oil
Climbing ropes – made from oil
Transport to the gantry- vehicle using oil products
Mobile phone – oil products, rare earth metals and chip design from Israel.
= self indulgent middle class virtue signaller.
About time too. Unfortunately, the sentence is nowhere near long enough.
Good on him for caring enough about our future and trying to do what it takes to get the important message across to the leaders of our country whom we have to trust to make the right decisions on our behalf… and the world cant afford to let them make the wrong decisions.
No not good on him. While he has a very valid cause, disrupting people’s lives and denying Ambulances access to emergences isn’t doing anything for the cause.
Save the planet and all that B/S that they spout while causing massive congestion, gridlock and pollution is ironic don’t you think.
We have thicko’s like Greta who is an environmentalist yet drives a car and how does she get from one country to another, she doesn’t swim.
We all know what we have to do but lets look at alternatives, then perhaps we can move forwards.
Surely a Teacher of Journalism must have read the many News reports ,and aricles upon oil coming to an end . So why such futile , attention seeking protests?
Just stop Oil, I think most of us will agree with their aims but most of us will say action like this just defeats the cause. Glad this person was jailed and so should other who protest irresponsibly like this.
Nathan Adler
I don’t wish any harm to these protesters, but what would’ve happened if they had fallen off. How long before ambulance could reach him due to being delayed by the very protest action they caused.
You can just hear the comments, ‘How long for an ambulance to get here, disgusting service’.