Quaker protester sentenced
Janet Fenton sentenced to 120 hours of community service
Scottish Quaker Janet Fenton has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service for protesting against what she regarded as an unfair trial. Her fellow defendant, Barbara Dowling, has been sent to prison for three months for the same protest.
The pair sprayed political graffiti on a court building in Dumbarton after they were convicted of a breach of the peace in 2010. The conviction followed a nonviolent blockade of the Faslane nuclear base. They said that the judge had refused to listen to their defence based on international law and appeared to have made her mind up in advance (see ‘Trident beleaguered from all sides’, 24 February).
Barbara Dowling explained: ‘I did what the courts refuse to do: I upheld international law in regard to nuclear weapons.’
Janet Fenton is the secretary of the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Speaking after the sentence, she said: ‘I consider that I do service for the community all the time in working for peace. Doing 120 hours for the community shouldn’t be a problem.’
