Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the judgment of the Court of Appeal on the Attorney General’s Reference on a Point of Law, No. 1 of 2022 (pursuant to section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972).

On 28 September this year, the Court of Appeal handed down judgment in the Colston statue case, after the then Attorney General asked the Court to clarify a point of law following the acquittal of those who pulled down the statue on 07 June 2020.

The Attorney General welcomes the Court's judgement and is pleased that the law has been clarified. The proper scope of certain defences to criminal damage arising from protests is now clear. While the acquittals in question were not the subject of the challenge, it has now made clear that in future, defendants will not be able to rely on this particular defence in the same way.