Peace Demo Sabotage Plot

[Shinobi]

15 May 2007

Peace activists who broke into an RAF base planned to sabotage B-52 bombers by clogging their engines with nuts and bolts, a court heard.

Protesters Toby Olditch, 38, and Philip Pritchard, 36, used bolt cutters to get through the perimeter fence at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, intending to attack the long-range planes and the runway.

The pair claimed they were trying to prevent war crimes in Iraq when they were caught by Defence Ministry police.

Bristol Crown Court heard the pair sneaked onto the base, which was being used by the US Air Force, on March 18, 2003 - the day before bombing started at the outbreak of the Iraq war.

The pair were armed with bottles of red and brown liquid along with bags of nails and staples, which would have been emptied into the planes' engine bays.

The pair were discovered lying on the ground after being spotted by patrolling MoD police officers.

Prosecutor Peter Blair QC said: "They expected to be arrested; they expected to be prosecuted and, from what you will see, they expected to be sent to prison - indeed Mr Pritchard took a toothbrush with him. They also took lots of stamps for letter writing. It was very much part of the overall plan."

Olditch, of Percy Street, Oxford, and Pritchard, of Campbell Road, Oxford, both deny conspiring to cause criminal damage.

Mr Blair said the pair were also planning to damage the noses of the B-52s, so the planes could not bomb their targets.

The defence barrister Edward Rees said the defendants believed the B-52 planes were being prepared with uranium and scatter bombs to attack Iraq.

Mr Rees said: "These particular bombs would inevitably result in indiscriminate death of civilians."

The trial, due to end next week, was adjourned until today.

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/display...;pNodeId=145795

Quote:The pair claimed they were trying to prevent war crimes in Iraq when they were caught by Defence Ministry police.

Least they tried!