Karen Wildin, aged 60, was found guilty by a jury for obstructing a train heading to Drax Power Station on 11th November 2021 [1].
On the last day of COP26, the meeting of global leaders in Glasgow to address the climate emergency, Karen flagged down and climbed on top of a train filled with wood pellets to be burned at Drax Power Station in Yorkshire. She wanted to get a message to the leaders at COP to not stop negotiations until a real agreement to stop deforestation and avert the climate crisis was reached.
While giving evidence on the stand, she said it was her “duty to all young people around the world” to do everything she could to avert the worst affects of the climate crisis. She quoted Sir David King, former chief scientific adviser to the government as saying “what we do over the next three to four years is going to determine the future of humanity” [2] in February 2021. She explained how from that moment on she dedicated 4 years of her life to do everything she could to avert catastrophe. Karen is a grandmother of one, and mother of four.
In cross examination, she countered claims that Drax had no relation to COP26 by exposing the level of lobbying by polluting companies at the climate conference. In her words, “there were more lobbyists than politicians at COP, that is why it acts in the interest of companies not people”.
In this final day of the trial, Ms Wildin had all her legal defences removed by the judge, giving her no defence in law. Ms Wildin decided to self represent and gave a final speech to the jury calling on them to acquit according to their conscience.
This is one of two cases involving a protest that obstructed the private freight railway which leads into Drax Power Station. Drax is the UK single largest carbon emitter, [3] worlds biggest tree burner and fuels environmental racism across the globe [7]. Due to a loophole in subsidy law, Drax were granted around £2 million a day [4] over the last year in subsides paid from a levy on our energy bills [6]. In the same year, the company saw record profits peaking at over £1 billion. This summer, Reclaim the Power [5] will be targeting Drax in a mass climate camp to disrupt their business as usual with hundreds expected for the six day camp.
This case was heard in Leeds Crown Court by the Recorder of Leeds, Judge Guy Kearl QC. The verdict was reached by the jury after less than an hour. She will be sentenced on 22nd July 2024, with the maximum sentence being 2 years in prison.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Axe Drax is a network that actively opposes Drax through disruptive direct action. Website: axedrax.uk
Photos from action and court: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uDDdIzJ0jg5HH3efnwJZp0dP7hESo7zS?usp=drive_link
[1] 12 Nov 2021 BBC Report: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-59267244
[3] Drax is the UK’s single largest carbon emitter. The power station emitted over 12 million tonnes of CO2 in 2022: https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/drax-co2-emissions-biomass/
[4] Drax Annual Report for 2023: https://www.drax.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Drax_AR23_Interactive.pdf
[5] https://reclaimthepower.org.uk/
[6] https://www.drax.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Drax_AR23_Interactive.pdf
[7] https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2022/09/26/drax-accused-environmental-racism-further-pollution-claims-against-wood-pellet-mills-us/