Falkirk Kelpie climbing climate activists found guilty of breaching the peace with 30 metre ascent

Hannah Taylor, 23, and Lewis Conroy, 22, a cloud computing systems designer, were fined £420 each over the incident last year, which Falkirk Sheriff Court

heard earlier today caused disruption and financial loss and put police officers, who had to climb up to remove them, in danger.

Sheriff Craig Harris said Taylor, a mathematician, and Conroy, a cloud computing systems designer, were "both obviously passionate about climate change" and were

both "contributing to society through their employment or studies".

He said both had been polite with the police, and respectful to the court.

However, he added: "The fact that the accused were polite and civil throughout their interactions with the police does not change the nature of their conduct, and their

cause does not change the nature of their conduct – a breach of the peace does not stop being that because the court might consider the cause to be good."

Taylor and Conroy, who both described themselves as experienced climbers, scaled the structure, in the Helix Park, Falkirk in the early morning of Sunday, July 23 last

year and attached a banner to the sculpture.

The park had to be closed, more than 200 visitors had their tours of the structures postponed or cancelled, boat movements on the canal had to be cancelled, with one

vessel actually unable to enter with the tide from the nearby River Carron sea lock, and residential mooring owners had to be confined to their narrowboats because of

the danger to people below.

Scottish Canals and the Helix Park operator Falkirk Council lost nearly £2000 in revenue as a result, the court heard.

Taylor, of Dronfield Woodhouse, Derbyshire, and Conroy, of Glasgow, accept they scaled the sculpture but denied that doing so constituted a breach of the peace, and

represented themselves, appearing without lawyers at a summary trial which began last year and continued today, taking a total of two days.

Taylor said she had acted because climate change unchecked would lead to "the total collapse of society”, while Conroy said he "could not live with himself" if he stood

by and did nothing.A police negotiator told the court he was "suspended within the structure for 40 minutes" by special operations officers to speak to Conroy and Taylor, who by then were

“between the ears" of the horse.

Some 16 rope access officers and four supervisors from Police Scotland's Edinburgh-based special operations unit were sent to the scene.

One officer said Conroy and Taylor seemed "oblivious to the danger" they were in, and that they were causing police, and he was worried that their banner could blow

across the motorway.

The officer stated: “Climbing up on such a structure is not at all recommended. A reasonable person would determine it's not safe to climb on the outside of the

structures."

He described Conroy and Taylor as "both very polite", adding: “When I saw them on the top I was frankly amazed at their disregard for their own safety. They didn't

have helmets on. My fear was there could be injuries through misadventure – causing a fatality either to themselves or my colleagues working there."