Two protesters accused of ‘locking on’ to the road outside an arms factory in Moulsecoomb have pleaded not guilty today. Ash Yoganathan, 27, and Cole MacDonald, 21, were demonstrating outside the premises of defence manufacturer L3 Harris on Home Farm Road earlier this month.
The protesters appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court, denying charges of wilful obstruction of a highway and locking on to cause serious disruption. Yoganathan, of Bevendean Crescent, and MacDonald, of Bake Street, were part of a group of demonstrators on Thursday, May 2, who held banners outside the Home Farm Industrial Estate, criticising L3 Harris for their role in manufacturing parts for bombs used globally.
Magistrates at Brighton imposed a bail condition on both defendants, prohibiting them from going to Home Farm Road in Moulsecoomb.
Locking on to a person, object, or land became an offence under the Public Order Act 2023, carrying a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
The court has adjourned the case until the next hearing at Brighton Magistrates on October 31.
