An open letter signed by over 200 academics says the conviction of three anti-fracking protesters ‘sets a dangerous precedent’ More than 200 academics have signed a letter calling for a judicial review of “absurdly harsh” prison sentences handed to three fracking protesters on Wednesday. An open letter , started by staff at the University of Sussex says that the jail terms of between 15 and 16 months for halting a convoy of lorries carrying shale drilling equipment “set a dangerous precedent”. Simon Roscoe Blevins, 26, Richard Roberts, 36, and Rich Loizou, 31, are thought to be the first environmental protesters to receive a jail sentence in the UK since 1932. They were convicted of causing a public nuisance after clambering onto the roofs of three lorry cabs travelling to energy firm Cuadrilla’s base in Little Plumpton, Lancashire and refusing to come down for between 45 and 84 hours. A […]