It has come to my attention that this blog may be used as a resource to inform potential arrestees what is likely to happen to them. I am no expert, never having been arrested before April's rebellion; but I hope that my limited experience may prove useful. One of the most common questions from people worried about the consequences of being arrested is: "Just how much is this likely to cost me?"
Well, I will try to give a rough idea of the answer to this question. In non-monetary terms, it is likely to cost quite a lot of your time, energy, and mental reserves in dealing with the ongoing legal process of court appearances, research of the law, preparation of a defence, research and writing of a statement to the court, attending XR on-line 'zoom' meetings, and fund raising for legal costs (more on that later). It is also likely to lead to a conviction in court and a criminal record (albeit one for a minor public order offence). I have yet to hear of a single person who has been acquitted of charges arising from arrest at April's rebellion, so until I am told that that has changed, then you WILL be convicted. A criminal record MAY cause you problems with employment (luckily in my case, my employer has assured me that it won't, so I am quite lucky). A criminal record will also come up on a dbs check, and could potentially cause you problems if you want to travel to the USA or some other countries.
What about monetary cost? That depends on whether you are charged. Obviously if you aren't charged, then this won't be an issue; but following the Government's pressure on the CPS to charge EVERY person arrested at the April rebellion, then it is likely that you will be. Then it depends on whether you decide to plead 'guilty' or 'not guilty' at your initial plea hearing. If you plead 'guilty', then you will be dealt with there and then on the day, and will be expected to pay at once. The maximum penalty for breaching the section 14 public order notice is a £1,000 fine, plus costs; but you are much more likely to receive a conditional discharge of 6 months if this is a first offence. A conditional discharge means that you are convicted, but will face no other penalty as long as you are not brought back before the court in the next six months. If you are, you face a penalty for the new offence, plus you may face a penalty for the original offence as well, and the court will probably not be lenient. Costs if you plead guilty at this earliest opportunity are likely to be around £115 based on feedback from people who have been through this.
If you plead 'not guilty', (and about 3/4 of us are doing this), then the penalty for a conviction will be the same, but the costs will increase to around £600 for a one-day trial, or up to £1,000 for a two day trial. So pleading 'not guilty' could cost you many hundreds of pounds. If you have a job, or any assets, then you will be expected to pay in full on the day. If not, then you will need to prove it, and the court may come to an arrangement for payment in installments.
If you choose to self-represent, then you will have no further legal costs. If you want professional legal representation, then you may qualify for legal aid if you have little or no income, but if you don't then you will have to pay for it. An advocate for a one-day trial will cost around £750, with a two day trial rising to £1,000-£1,500. If you are found not guilty then you should be entitled to a proportion of these costs back. Also, trials are taking place with a number of people on trial at the same time, and it may be possible to 'share' the costs of an advocate, and hopefully reduce the cost per defendant that way.
Hopefully you can see that offering yourself up for arrest will have serious consequences in many ways; and hopefully you will have realise what a personal sacrifice that arrestees are making in trying to make this rebellion a success. It is not something that is done lightly, although in my own case I have no regrets. Doing nothing in the face of such catastrophic consequences of climate breakdown is not something that I could live with. I want my children, and all of life on this planet to have some hope of a bright future.
One of the ways that you could deal with the serious financial consequences of arrest and prosecution is to start a crowdfunder. You may be surprised how many people care enough about our future to contribute to your legal costs. Many people really want to help the rebellion, but are unable to physically join for numerous reasons. They may instead want to help by making a contribution to help those that can put themselves on the front line. If you want to contribute to my legal costs, and to those of my fellow rebels in Bedfordshire, then please feel free to click on the attached link. Even if it is just a pound or two. I have been humbled by how generous people have already been, but there will be even more of us in my position after October's rebellion, and every pound donated will provide added comfort for all arrestees. Thank you, on behalf of myself, my fellow rebels, and all life on earth.