Protestors against the imprisonment of 78-year-old retired teacher for blocking the M25 say they are overjoyed that she has been released.
A peaceful protest over the imprisonment of Gaie Delap took place on The Moor on Falmouth last week with her daughter Lilly Pridie and her grandchildren, who live in the town, in attendance.
Lily told the Packet she was relieved her grandmother was home.
‘We are sincerely thankful to the massive support that has sustained her in prison and Relieved that she is home. I hope this marks a shift in attitude from the government to peaceful protest and the way it is handled in the courts,” she said
Gaie Delap- from Montpelier, in Bristol was sentenced to 20 months in jail for her part in a Just Stop Oil protest blocking the M25 back in 2022.
George Simonson, Theresa Higginson, Paul Bell, Gaie Delap and Paul Sousek were jailed for their involvement in protests on the M25, during which they climbed on to gantries over the motorway.
Simonson and Higginson were jailed for two years, Bell for 22 months, and Delap and Sousek for 20 months last August.
Gaie was released on licence last year but then sent back to prison as an electrical tag could not be placed on her ankle because of a medical condition and nothing of the right size could be found to fit her wrist.
But following protests both here and outside the Royal Courts of Justice on January 29 last week where the sentences were being reviewed, Gaie Delap was released on January 31 after a correct size bracelet was found.
Spokesperson for the Falmouth protest Sophie Miller told the Packet: “We are overjoyed that Gaie Delap has been released and reunited with her family, where she belongs. But her imprisonment should never have happened in the first place.
“Gaie is a grandmother, a Quaker, and a lifelong advocate for justice—she should have been at home with her loved ones, not behind bars for standing up for what’s right.
“Her case is a stark reminder of the disturbing crackdown on peaceful protest in the UK. We will continue to fight for the release of all political prisoners and for the right to peaceful dissent. Gaie’s freedom is a victory, but the struggle is far from over.”
Gaie was released last November under the home detention curfew (HDC) scheme, but was then recalled to prison when no electronic tracking tag small enough could be found that fit her wrist.
Ms Delap was unable to wear the usual ankle bracelet because of a medical condition.
She was released from prison on January 31.
The Ministry of Justice says if offenders cannot be monitored electronically, they will be returned to prison even if it is no fault of their own.
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Good Law UK- a non-profit organisation supporting Gaie's release- posted a statement on their website: "A member of our team has spoken with Gaie, who is safely back in her own home.
"She is overwhelmed with the support she has received and has shared her thanks to Good Law Project supporters.
"But she’s ready to keep fighting her recall to prison, where she spent Christmas and her birthday.
"We will continue to support Gaie and her legal team.”
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