Protesters cleared over damage

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The group painted the name "Gordon" on the 656ft (200m) stack at Kingsnorth in Kent last October in a political protest against its redevelopment.

The activists claimed they were acting lawfully to try to stop further damage to properties being caused around the world by global warming.

The jury of nine women and three men at Maidstone Crown Court found the group not guilty of charges of criminal damage.

There was a collective cry of "Yes" and a round of applause as the verdicts were read out.

One of the protesters, Emily Hall, burst into tears in the dock.

The defendants who scaled the chimney were Huw Williams, 41, from Nottingham; Ben Stewart, 34, from Lyminge, Kent; Kevin Drake, 44, from Westbury, Wiltshire; Will Rose, 29, from London; and Miss Hall, 34, from New Zealand. Tim Hewke, 48, from Ulcombe, Kent, helped organise the protest from the ground.