Colston Four trial

On 7 June 2020, during the global protests following the murder of George Floyd in the United States,[1] the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down by demonstrators who then jumped on it.

[2][4][5] Superintendent Andy Bennett of Avon and Somerset Police stated that they had made a "tactical decision" not to intervene and had allowed the statue to be toppled, citing a concern that stopping the act could have led to further violence and a riot.

The council said the statue was structurally stable, although it had lost one of its coattails, the walking stick, and faced damage to its left side and to the foot.

[18] In September 2020, Avon and Somerset Police said that files on four people suspected of criminal damage had been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service to decide if charges should be brought.

[18] On 9 December 2020, four people—Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford, Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby, often referred to as the "Colston 4"[20]—were charged with causing criminal damage in relation to the toppling of the statue.

[26] While stating that "trial by jury is an important guardian of liberty and must not be undermined", Suella Braverman, the attorney general, said she would "carefully consider" whether to refer the case to the Court of Appeal as the result was "causing confusion".

[28] Braverman's statement was alleged by former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, and shadow attorney general, Emily Thornberry, to be politically motivated.

[29] However the case was duly referred, and the Court of Appeal agreed with the attorney general, finding that: The circumstances in which the statue was damaged did not involve peaceful protest.