Brexit protester Terry Maher jailed over £1m train disruption stunt
Written by News on 16/08/2019
A Brexit protester has been jailed for blocking trains running between London and France, causing disruption costing more than £1m.
Terry Maher, 44, climbed on top of a tunnel in what police said was an extremely hazardous area overlooking railway lines near St Pancras International station in March – the month Britain was meant to leave the EU.
He was carrying a St George flag, power banks for his phone and warm clothing.
A total of 88 train services were cancelled and up to 22,000 holidaymakers, travellers and commuters were hit by his 13-hour demonstration.
It stopped high-speed trains travelling to Kent in the South East and France, leaving some international passengers stranded overnight in London.
Maher, from Camden, north London, was found guilty of malicious obstruction of the railway and was sentenced to a year in jail on Monday.
After the sentencing at Blackfriars Crown Court, Detective Sergeant Dean Percival said Maher’s protests had been called “the single most expensive incident in the history of high-speed railway in Britain”.
Mr Percival added: “However, not only did it cost the rail industry, it also cost thousands of commuters and holidaymakers their time, significantly delaying their journeys and leaving them stranded at stations desperate for the situation to be resolved.
“Maher’s selfish actions profoundly impacted the day-to-day lives of the public.
“That impact is what he was brought to court to answer for.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Brexit protester Terry Maher jailed over £1m train disruption stunt
