Two Just Stop Oil activists admitted to the court that they “considered keeping it hostage” after spreading vegan chocolate cake on a wax replica of Prince Charles at Madame Tussauds.
Wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts to the London gallery in October of last year, Eilidh McFadden, 20, and Tom Johnson, 29, vandalized the pricey monument.
Self-employed artist Johnson said before Westminster Magistrates Court that he and McFadden had “been brainstorming additional ideas for the rally.” Both men denied allegations of causing criminal damage.
I’m astonished it’s even been taken to this level, but here we are, he told the court.
“Considering that Merlin Entertainment is one of the biggest companies in the entertainment industry, owns Legoland and Disney World, and this is very trivial for them, I believe the amount of disruption and harm experienced by them should be taken into account.”
We contemplated holding the likeness of King Charles III hostage and broadcasting his own remarks as we were planning the operation, for example.
We both agreed it may have been very unsettling or terrifying for anybody there.
So we chose to calmly quote him while standing next to him.
‘Unfortunately, the noise level in the room was rather high and we had to yell, but the materials we used were carefully selected to do the least amount of harm,’ the researcher said.
Jonathan Bryan, the prosecutor, though, called the two “minor.”
“Your actions have done absolutely nothing to aid those folks afflicted by climate change, have they,” he argued.
“Putting a custard pie on a waxwork replica of King Charles is not going to persuade anyone about climate change; it is a really minor deed,” the author writes.
The figure, which may cost anywhere between £75,000 and £200,000 to sculpt, was taken out of the exhibition after the event to be cleaned.
The court was informed that certain employees had to put in an additional five hours of labor to get the model ready for the following morning’s appearance as a consequence of the prank.
District Judge Neeta Minhas sentenced the defendants, finding that they had done “substantial harm,” and found them guilty of inflicting $3,500 in criminal damage.
Johnson was handed a 12-month conditional release and told to pay costs of £250 as well as $1,750 in damages.
McFadden, who had had three prior convictions for aggravated trespass, was given a 12-month community order that included 80 hours of unpaid labor as well as the same amount of restitution and fees.
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