Scottish Parliament Demonstrator Admonished

Peace Campaigner Jane Tallents was today admonished at Edinburgh Sheriff Court for a charge of breaching the peace, leaving the Crown’s prosecution of a group of Scottish Parliament demonstrators in almost complete disarray.

Last August, Jane (44), from Helensburgh, was found guilty of a breach of the peace after taking part in a demonstration in the Scottish Parliament, when twelve activists interrupted First Minister’s Questions by dropping banners from the balcony and shouting out “The people of Scotland don’t want Trident!” Sentence was deferred until September, when, after considering a social enquiry report, Sheriff Mackinnon deferred sentence for a further nine months “to be of good behaviour”.

Jane has been given leave to appeal her conviction to the High Court. Today Sheriff Mackinnon was initially inclined to defer his decision on sentence until the appeal is heard, which is unlikely to be until next year, but Jane argued that it was unfair that his decision on sentence should be further delayed. She asked him to deal with it and admonish her. After checking that the report on her behaviour was favourable he complied.

Part of Jane’s argument for admonishment was the fact that apart from her case and one still to be heard, all the demonstrators had either been acquitted or had their cases abandoned by the Crown. As Jane told the Sheriff: “The gist of the case against me was that I annoyed Presiding Officer David Steel, which I regard as the low end of breach of the peace so low in fact that all my colleagues got off.”

Later Jane said: “I was pleased to be admonished today but I consider that for a citizen of Scotland “being of good behaviour” means actively confronting these weapons of mass destruction.”