Supreme Court to rule on climate campaigner who broke Heathrow ruling embargo's appeal

A lawyer and climate campaigner who broke an embargo over the Heathrow Airport expansion court ruling will find out whether he has won his Supreme Court appeal against his conviction for contempt.

Tim Crosland, director of environmental campaign group Plan B Earth, was found in contempt of court for revealing the Supreme Court’s decision on Heathrow’s third runway 22 hours before it was made public last December.

The lawyer, from Elephant and Castle in south London, previously described breaking the embargo as “an act of civil disobedience”.

In May, three Supreme Court justices found Crosland in contempt of court for his “deliberate and calculated breaches” and fined him £5,000 as well as ordering costs of £15,000.

In October, Crosland appeared at the Supreme Court to appeal against their ruling in front of the only justices not involved in the contempt hearing or the original Heathrow case.

The campaigner argued the previous judges failed to consider his “intentions, motivations and belief” when breaching the embargo.

He said he broke the embargo to draw attention to the Government’s use of a “historic” 2C temperature limit, rather than the current 1.5C target required by the Paris Agreement, when considering the airport’s expansion.

However, Aidan Eardley, for the Attorney General, said the move had been a “publicity stunt” and that the campaigner could have publicised his views after the judgment was released.

Lord Briggs, sitting with Lady Arden, Lord Kitchin, Lord Burrows and Lady Rose, will give the court’s ruling on Crosland’s appeal at 10.45am on Monday.