News / Colston 4
Not guilty verdicts in trial of Colston 4
There were cheers in the public gallery as all of the four people standing trial over the toppling of the statue of Edward Colston were found not guilty.
Rhian Graham, Milo Ponsford, Jake Skuse and Sage Willoughby were acquitted of the charge of criminal damage by a jury at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday afternoon.
You could feel the tension in the air as the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision and was told it could return a majority verdict as long as no less than ten members of the 12-strong jury agreed. After almost three hours of deliberating, the verdicts were returned as not guilty.
is needed now More than ever
Dubbed the Colston 4, they were the only people to stand trial following events that made global headlines on June 7 2020, when the statue of the notorious slave trader was pulled from its plinth and rolled into the harbour by Pero’s Bridge.
Over the course of the trial that started on December 13, Bristol’s history and the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting legacy of racism were laid bare, with renowned historian David Olusoga among the expert witnesses called.
People turned out with placards to show their support for the Colston 4 at the start of the trial – photo by Rob Browne
Barristers for the four defendants stated that Colston’s statue was “offensive” and a “racist hate crime” and that its toppling during a Black Lives Matter march came in the wake of at least three decades of campaigning for its removal.
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: David Olusoga called as expert defence witness in Colston 4 trial
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
