Ffos-y-Fran Coal Train Blockade - Court Verdict
Eighteen people from Bristol and Bath were in court last week (July 8) to answer two charges of obstructing the railway at Ffos-y-Fran open-cast coal mine in Merthyr Tydfil. Seven people who had chained themselves to the track and six who had been acting as support and legal observers all pleaded guilty to Section 36 of the Malicious Damages Act 1861, and not guilty to Section 35 of the same act (the section carrying the infamous life penalty). Five people including a legal obvserer and drivers pleaded not guilty to both charges.