Two Just Stop Oil activists deny charge of criminal damage after waxwork of King Charles was smeared with chocolate cake at Madame Tussauds
- Tom Johnson and Eilidh McFadden slapped the Monarch waxwork with cake
- Johnson and McFadden denied criminal damage at Westminster Magistrates
- They will face a trial back at the same court on January 31 – both granted bail
Two Just Stop Oil eco-activists have denied criminal damage after a waxwork of King Charles was smeared with chocolate cake at Madame Tussauds.
Tom Johnson, 29, and Eilidh McFadden, 20, slapped the monarch’s wax face with the cake on November 29 during a protest.
Just Stop Oil posted a video of King Charles on social media following the protest, in which he says: ‘The battle against climate change is surely the most defining and pivotal challenge of our time.’
Robert Simpson, prosecuting, said the damage amounted to £3,500, but some of that value is loss of revenue suffered by the owners Merlin Entertainment.
Tom Johnson (left) and Eilidh McFadden at Westminster Magistrates Court today
Johnson, of Sunderland, and McFadden, of Glasgow, both denied criminal damage at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
They confirmed from the dock that they travelled the night before on the night bus to attend court in person, despite being granted the right to appear via video link.
With ongoing rail strikes and snow causing country-wide disruption District Judge Michael Snow joked: ‘We can’t get people to attend from East Finchley but we can get them from Glasgow.’
Just Stop Oil previously identified the pair as Eilidh McFadden, a 20-year-old from Glasgow and Tom Johnson, 29, from Sunderland
The waxwork face of King Charles is seen smeared with chocolate cake at Madame Tussauds
Robert Simpson, prosecuting, said the damage amounted to £3,500, but some of that value is loss of revenue suffered by the owners Merlin Entertainment
Johnson and McFadden will face a trial, estimated to last half a day, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court starting on January 31.
They were both granted bail under the condition that they do not come within the M25 except for a court appearance.
Just Stop Oil is calling for the UK Government to stop granting new oil and gas licences and consents.
Eco-activists repeatedly brought parts of the M25 to a standstill last month, covered Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting with soup at the National Gallery and even poured human waste over a memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore.