A 79-year-old grandmother who participated in an environmental protest is taking legal action against the government, alleging wrongful imprisonment. Gaie Delap was handed a 20-month jail term for staging a climate change demonstration by climbing gantries over the M25. Initially allowed to serve her sentence at home, she was returned to prison after the contractor, Serco, failed to provide a suitable wrist tag for monitoring, as she couldn’t wear an ankle monitor due to a medical condition. Delap, from Bristol, was one of 16 individuals incarcerated following the M25 protest in November 2022.

Represented by the Good Law Project, the retired teacher expressed her discontent with the system, stating, “When a state opts to incarcerate a grandmother instead of addressing the crises we are protesting against, the justice system is flawed.”

In response, the Ministry of Justice acknowledged concerns, noting, “The prisons inherited by this government do not adequately serve most women. Consequently, the Lord Chancellor has initiated the Women’s Justice Board to decrease female incarceration rates and enhance support for those who necessitate imprisonment.”