Drunk protesters who caused rush hour chaos for thousands of commuters with their misspelled banner are locked up
TWO pals have been jailed after staging a drunken protest that caused rush hour misery for thousands of commuters.
Craig Duffy, 28, and Jonathan Hoyle, 26, walked along railway tracks to a bridge, where they held up metro services during a four hour stand-off.
The pair unfurled a misspelled pre-prepared banner reading ‘HANG ALL PEODO’S during the apparent protest in Byker, Newcastle – setting of the famous 1990s TV series Byker Grove.
They also shouted abuse and threw missiles at passers-by before they were finally subdued.
Newcastle crown court heard how the pair were so sloshed they could barely remember the incident, which caused disruption for more than 5,000 commuters.
Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said the pair had gained access to the metro tracks via Platform 2 at Byker station at around 7.30am on May 11.
He explained how the men climbed up on viaduct railings 150m above the ground and started hurling ballast from the train tracks into the valley below.
Hoyle also picked up a piece of concrete, which he threatened to throw, he said, while both men shouted abuse.
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The court heard how the position of the protesters caused the service to be suspended in both directions.
And the timing of the disturbance meant the trains were at their busiest.
As a result, Metro bosses were forced to draft in bus replacement services to cope, causing “tarnish to public image” and leaving the company out of pocket, Perks said.
Richard Bloomfield, defending Duffy, said the protest followed a heavy drinking session.
He said: “He doesn't remember a lot about it.
“While members of the public were on their way to work, they were out carrying out this protest.
“It appears to be about paedophiles – although the spelling of the banner was not exactly accurate.”
He added that his defendant had struggled with a long-term drinking problem.
But the judge ignored calls for leniency, sentencing them both to six months behind bars.
Miss Recorder Sarah Mallett told them: “I have to make sure anyone tempted to behave in this way will think more than twice about it.
“More than strict economic loss and the problems you caused to about 5,000 individuals on the Metro, you created significant potential dangers in the way you behaved and tied up police officers and the like.
“This is a case in which a genuine deterrent sentence has to be passed.”
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