News / Colston 4
Colston 4 case could be sent to Appeal Court
The attorney general says that she is “carefully considering” whether to refer the Colston toppling case to the Court of Appeal.
Four people were cleared of criminal damage at Bristol Crown Court for pulling down the statue and rolling it into the docks on June 7 2020, but Suella Braverman said the result was “causing confusion”.
Braverman said, however, that “trial by jury is an important guardian of liberty & must not be undermined”.
The referral to the Court of Appeal would not affect the acquittal, the verdict cannot be overturned and the defendants cannot be retried without fresh evidence.
Milo Ponsford, 26, Rhian Graham, 30, Jake Skuse, 33, and Sage Willoughby, 22, were all found not guilty.
On Friday, Braverman tweeted: “Trial by jury is an important guardian of liberty & must not be undermined. However, the decision in the Colston statue case is causing confusion.
“Without affecting the result of this case, as Attorney General, I am able to refer matters to the Court of Appeal so that senior judges have the opportunity to clarify the law for future cases. I am carefully considering whether to do so.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more:
- Petition demands Colston 4 retrial after ‘miscarriage of justice’
- Colston 4 barrister: ‘The prosecution was not in the public interest in any shape or form’
- Police hope for ‘positive moves’ following Colston 4 verdicts
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