Bristol doctor jailed for climate protest
The Brislington GP damaged pumps at a petrol station in 2022 as part of action by Just Stop Oil
A Bristol GP is beginning a year long prison sentence, making him the first working doctor to be jailed for climate protest.
Dr Patrick Hart (38), was found guilty of criminal damage on Tuesday (7th January), after using a hammer and chisel to damage the display of 16 pumps at an Esso petrol station in Thurrock in Essex, in August 2022.
The protest formed part of Just Stop Oil's campaign, demanding an end to new licences and consents for oil and gas projects in the UK.
Dr Hart did not deny his actions but pleaded not guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court, saying he believed then and still does now, that it was the right thing to do.
"My only defence is a moral one," he said.
"I did what I did as an act of conscience."
Dr Hart has already faced civil charges and been fined for his actions, while he will now face a tribunal in front of the General Medical Council (GMC) regarding his fitness to practice.
In the last 12 months, the GMC has suspended two doctors following their convictions for non-violent climate protest.
In his closing statement at Chelmsford Crown Court during his trial, Dr Hart said: “I disrupted people as an act of care. I damaged the petrol pump screens as an act of care, because in times of great peril, a caring person has to stand up for what is right.
"My actions have already cost me greatly. I have been handed a suspended prison sentence, and thousands of pounds in costs through a civil injunction for this exact same action.
"I have been penalised at work and stand to be suspended or lose my licence to practise as a doctor.
"But I regret nothing. Because to not do it would have been to give up on caring, and that would be worse.
"In the face of the permanent collapse of our climate, our economy, our society and life on Earth, the only thing that keeps me going is our continued capacity as people to care, regardless of what happens.
"Yes, I fear prison, but I am ready to go if I must.”