Samuel Johnson, 41, and Patrick Hart, 38, two supporters of the activist group Just Stop Oil, have been acquitted of criminal damage charges related to their protest during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby final at Twickenham in May 2023. A jury at Kingston Crown Court delivered the verdict on Tuesday.
During the protest, the pair threw orange corn starch powder paint onto the pitch. The prosecution faced challenges in proving that the protesters intended to cause damage, as they might not have anticipated the cleaning difficulties presented by Twickenham's hybrid grass and plastic pitch. Similar powder paint had been used in another protest at Lords and was cleaned easily with a leaf blower.
Johnson, a construction worker from Essex, and Hart, a GP from Bristol, are still facing separate charges of aggravated trespass. These charges will be addressed at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court at a later date.