A family doctor was sentenced to one year in prison for his Just Stop Oil activities.
Dr Patrick Hart took action in August 2022 calling for a moratorium on new licenses and consents for oil and gas projects in the UK, which has since become government policy.
Mr Hart appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court today after being found guilty of criminal damage in October 2024 after disabling a petrol pump at Esso Thurrock Services on the M25 on August 24, 2022. He appeared before Judge Mills.
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Esso is a subsidiary of oil giant Exxon Mobil, which is notorious for covering up the company’s own scientists’ startling discoveries that showed fossil fuels were causing global warming.
Exxon then spent millions of dollars on a disinformation campaign that initially sowed doubt and subsequent confusion surrounding emerging climate science.
Dr Hart said in his closing statement at Chelmsford Crown Court during the trial: “I confused people as an act of compassion.
“I defaced a petrol pump screen as an act of compassion. In times of great crisis, caring people must stand up for what is right.
“My actions have already caused me great harm. I have been given a suspended prison sentence for this very same action and a civil injunction has cost me thousands of pounds. have been punished in the workplace and may be suspended or lose their license to practice as a physician.
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“But I don’t regret anything, because not doing that would be abandoning compassion, and that’s worse. Our climate, our economy, our society, And in the face of the permanent collapse of life on Earth, the only thing that keeps me going is our ability to continue caring as a people, no matter what happens.
“Yes, I’m scared of prison, but I’m ready to go if necessary.”
The Thurrock Esso petrol station is subject to a private injunction and Dr Hart is already facing civil action and fines for this action.
He will also face court after being referred by the professional regulator, the General Medical Council (GMC), for a disciplinary hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal (MPTS). Therefore, Dr. Hart will be punished three times for the same act.
In the past 12 months, the GMC has introduced two doctors who were removed from the medical register by the MPTS after being found guilty of non-violent climate protest.
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Before passing sentence, Dr Hart said: “The greatest health threat to all of us right now is ongoing climate change. This is the greatest health threat we have ever faced. To all healthcare workers: You have a responsibility to protect the health of your patients.
“If we don’t stand up to the oil and gas company owners and the politicians who enable them who are wreaking havoc on our climate, if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels, we as a profession and our health care system What we have built over centuries will crumble.
“I will continue to fight against the death sentence of fossil fuels for as long as I have the power. As a physician, I have no greater obligation at this moment in history.”
Today’s verdict comes after a jury found three Just Stop Oil supporters “not guilty” in June 2024 of disabling gas pumps in the same manner as Dr. Hart.
Just Stop Oil plans to become active again in 2025. To join the talk or sign up for activities, register at: juststopoil.org.
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Brendan Montague is the editor ecologist. This article is based on a press release from Just Stop OIl.
