Two Just Stop Oil protesters who spray-painted Charles Darwin’s grave in Westminster Abbey have pleaded not guilty to criminal damage insisting their action was proportional to “the threat the world is facing.”
Alyson Lee, 66, of Park Grove, Derby, and Diane Bligh, 77, of Langham Place, Frome, Somerset, daubed the grave with orange paint as part of a protest on Jan. 13.
The pair are charged with causing criminal damage after writing “1.5 is dead” over the resting place of the scientist in central London.
They said they would not be able to receive a fair trial because the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was overlooking “crimes against humanity.”
Court backlogs mean it will be more than a year before they face trial.
They appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday morning for a plea and trial preparation hearing, where they both entered not guilty pleas.
Vincent Scully, prosecuting, told the court: “The allegation is that on January 13 both defendants entered Westminster Abbey and spray-painted an orange slogan about 1.5 degrees over the grave of Charles Darwin.
“Both the defendants accept doing part of the spray-painting each.
“Bligh accepts painting ‘dead.’ Lee accepts painting ‘1.5.’
“Both were wearing Just Stop Oil T-shirts and then gave a press conference afterwards.
“The cost of the damage was about £10 to £15 to clean off and took a number of hours for specialists to do so.”
Despite the judge’s advice against it, the pair chose to represent themselves.
Judge Nicholas Rimmer said: “I encourage you to consider professional advocates for assistance—it may assist you.”
Bligh, wearing a green cardigan and blue scarf, said, “I have considered it and I’m choosing to be self-representing.”
Lee, wearing an orange cardigan, said, “That’s the same for me.”
Outlining their defences, the pair said they would be unable to receive a fair trial.
Bligh said, “I need time to think about it, but the way my mind is moving at the moment, I am not a criminal and the damage was proportional to the threat that the whole world is facing.”
Lee added: “I need time to formulate the whole thing, but I may well be using the defence of the impossibility of having a fair trial on the basis that the judicial system is failing to prosecute the real system.
“The CPS have been informed of major crimes against humanity and they are refusing to pursue those, and that is the only reason why we have had to resort to what we’ve done.
“So I don’t believe we can have a fair trial in those circumstances.”
The pair are set to appear for trial on May 5, 2026. The trial is expected to last three days.
