Serial eco lawbreaker arrested more than 16 times at XR protests who sparked ... trends now
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A serial eco-lawbreaker who has been arrested more than 16 times at Extinction Rebellion and Insulate Britain protests has today avoided jail.
Gabriella Ditton sparked fury by using GoFundMe to raise more than £2,000 to pay off her fines for offences of criminal damage and public nuisance.
The 29-year-old sobbed at Hove Crown Court as she pleaded guilty to one count of causing a public nuisance for bringing the M25 to a standstill – before she and her fellow protesters were spared jail.
Ditton brought chaos to the roads at rush hour by walking out onto the motorway at Junction 1 on September 15, 2021.
She and others sat down on the carriageway, bringing traffic to a standstill and causing fury among commuters. Some glued themselves to the road surface while Ditton, acting as a 'roving' protester, filmed the action and the police response to it.
Gabriella Ditton unveiling an Insulate Britain banner with co-defendants Nicholas Onely, Janine Eagling and David Crawford outside Hove Crown Court
Ditton leaving Hove Crown Court after she was spared jail
Gabriella Ditton among climate protesters blocking Lambeth Bridge in November 2021
The court heard that at one stage during the protest a mother with a two-week-old baby in the car pleaded with the protesters to let her through.
A young mother, who was taking her two other children to school, told the Insulate Britain protesters she needed to feed her baby and had no food in the car. The desperate parent told the group she intended to feed the baby when she reached her destination.
Furious motorists supported her and began to shout at the protesters to let her through and she was eventually allowed to pass.
Alex Young, prosecuting, said: 'A mother was travelling with two children to
