A climate activist who chained himself to fragile pipes containing explosive hydrocarbons at Scotland’s only oil refinery was jailed yesterday.
Father-of-one Samual Griffiths, 49, claimed he had committed ‘a pro-social crime’.
But jailing the graphic designer for 16 months, Sheriff Maryam Labaki told him he ‘disregarded the safety of others’ by ignoring staff explaining the dangers.
The incident, at the Ineos plant in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire on July 29th 2023, was the second at the facility involving activists from protest group This Is Rigged in 10 days.
Prosecutor Lucy Clarke told Falkirk Sheriff Court that police carrying out patrols of the site realised Griffiths and a fellow activist, Jack Rennie, 31, wearing climbing harnesses, had scaled a gate and climbed 20 to 30 feet onto pipework used to transport vapour round the plant July 29th 2023.
Ms Clarke said: ‘They refused to come down and were told that police officers would be deployed to remove them and this was a risk to them and the officers.’
The pair were warned not to place weight on the pipes as they were not loadbearing.
Griffiths chained himself to one of the pipes, while Rennie put a chain round his neck and padlocked himself to a pipe.
Samual Griffiths scaled a gate at Grangemouth refinery and climbed onto pipework used to transport vapour
Protesters from This Is Rigged sit on top of an oil tanker at the Ineos refinery in Grangemouth
Both had to be brought down by a police rope access team.
Griffiths, from Walthamstow, London, was found to be in possession of a heavy metal chain, a quantity of small flags, a rucksack of camping equipment, and a notebook.
Rennie, from Sussex, had also taken part in the earlier invasion of the plant, on July 19th, together with two further men, Lewis Conroy, 23, from Stirling, and Gregory Sculthorpe, 38, from Doncaster.
The trio had got into the plant and climbed onto the facility early in the morning as a tanker was arriving to collect petrol for Tesco - refusing to descend despite repeated requests from police and plant employees, risking causing damage to the pipes and the discharge of hazardous substances, and exposing the public to the risk of injury and harm.
Miss Clarke said the tanker driver was ‘terrified’.
All fuel-dispensing pumps at the plant were immediately shut down, and a supervisor tried to talk to Conroy, Rennie and Sculthorpe, as they began climbing up to a gantry, telling them the pipework was not suitable for their weight and warned them of high voltage cables nearby.
Miss Clarke said: ‘The pipes carry fuel. They rolled out a banner and began eating food they had brought.’
She said the supervisor noted the protestors ‘seemed relaxed’ while the supervisor ‘was in fear for his own life and the lives of his colleagues’.
Police arrived and put a containment round the structures, and for several hours specialist officers tried to negotiate with the protestors. Rennie and Sculthorpe eventually came down, while Conroy had to be removed by officers.
Conroy was found to have a mobile telephone with him. The court heard mobiles are banned on the site because they pose an ignition risk.
All four men pleaded guilty on indictment to culpable and reckless endangerment.
Solicitor Ryan Sloan, for Rennie, said: ‘Despite the intentions and moral convictions of all four, they are very well aware these are serious matters.
‘There was never any intention of causing danger to others.’
Jailing Griffiths,Sheriff Labaki said: ‘Notwithstanding your beliefs, you disregarded the safety of others by ignoring the staff explaining the dangers you were placing them and others and yourselves in.’
She said he was on bail at the time of the offence adding: ‘In your case I’m satisfied there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.’
Speaking of the incidents overall, the sheriff said: ‘An employee of Ineos told the accused the risk they were posing but they continued on.
‘It is a dangerous place by virtue of what it is.
‘If one is to fight for the greater good, the greater good includes compassion and care for your fellow man, for the general public, and this is terrifying. It would have been terrifying for the workers.’
Rennie, Conroy and Sculthorpe were placed on supervision for two years, and made subject to restriction of liberty orders for six months during which time they will be electronically tagged and subject to a 7pm to 7am curfew. Rennie and Sculthorpe were also sentenced to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work, and Conroy 200 hours.
In a statement after the case, This Is Rigged described the sentence as ‘unprecedentedly harsh’ adding: ‘Sam has been sentenced to a custodial sentence which he must serve in Scotland miles away from his son and family.’