Melchett cleared over GM crop damage

Lord Melchett, the executive director of environmental protest group Greenpeace, and 27 other supporters, were today cleared by a court of causing criminal damage after a field of genetically-modified maize was damaged.

Greenpeace, which hailed the decision as a legal landmark, said that it was delighted by the verdicts returned by a jury at Norwich Crown Court following a two-week trial.

At a trial in April, all 28 were cleared of theft as a result of the same incident, but that jury failed to reach a decision on the criminal damage charge.

"We're delighted by the verdict," said a Greenpeace spokesman. "We always said we were acting to protect other crops and the jury clearly believed us."

And speaking immediately after the verdict, Lord Melchett called on the government to end the GM farm trials "before any further genetic pollution of the environment occurs".

He said: "Greenpeace wanted to remove the GM maize in Norfolk because we believe that GM crops will inevitably contaminate the environment.
"The government is currently reviewing separation distances imposed between GM crops and other similar crops - separation distances which we said were completely inadequate when we took action in July 1999."

The charge arose out of a Greenpeace orchestrated attack on a field of genetically-modified maize at Lyng, Norfolk, in August last year.

The 28 defendants admitted destroying the crop, but said that acting to prevent pollen from the genetically-modified maize from polluting neighbouring organic crops and gardens - a defence the jury sympathised with.

Judge David Mellor ruled that the £250,000 costs for the two trials would fall to the prosecution.

Peter Tidey, chief Crown prosecutor for Norfolk, said after the verdict: "We felt this was a matter which should be decided by a jury and we sought a retrial so it could be resolved. There has now been a hearing and a verdict by a jury and we accept the decision of the court."

The jury of seven men and five women took around five hours to reach its verdicts. There were cheers and applause from the defendants as they were read out.

It is thought to be one of the largest groups of defendants tried in the same court in British legal history.

There were too many defendants, 13 of whom work for Greenpeace, to fit into the dock. Other defendants, including Lord Melchett, were seated in various other parts of the court.

Last year, the Archers Radio 4 soap opera carried a storyline which ran parallel to today's trial.

One of the characters, Tommy Archer, was charged with criminal damage after an attack on a field of GM crops and successfully mounted the same defence.