Insulate Britain protester says ‘sorry love’ to mother banned from driving for nudging demonstrator with car
‘Sorry, love?’ This Morning presenter Philip Schofield replies in shock
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Your support makes all the difference.An Insulate Britain protester said “Sorry, love” after hearing a mother received a driving ban for nudging two climate protestors with her car when they blocked her on the school-run.
Sherrilyn Speid, from Grays, Essex, was driving her son to school in her black Range Rover Sport last October when she came across three climate protesters sitting in the road near the M25.
The 35-year-old, who appeared for sentencing at Basildon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, was disqualified from driving for a year, handed a community order and ordered to pay a total of £240.
Speaking to ITV’s This Morning hosts, Tracy Mallaghan showed sympthy for the 35-year-old mother.
Ms Mallaghan said: “How does it benefit society that a hard-working, single mum who has never been in trouble, caught up in an unprecedented event, that they take her licence away?”
When presenter Phillip Schofield reminded Ms Mallaghan that Insulate Britain is the reason for Ms Speid’s driving ban, she responded: “Sorry, love.”
“Sorry, love?” Mr Schofield repeated. “She’s got this disqualification, she has a fine.
“You didn’t need to do it that way. They [the protestors] could have made their point, got up and left.”
When pushed on why the climate protestors take to the road to cause traffic disruption, Ms Mallaghan said: “We really take responsability for what we’re doing it. I hate it.
“I’ve had so many moments of really reflecting on what are we doing. We took this campaign day by day as a group,” she said, adding: “But I had no idea that there was a climate crisis until October 2019, and I heard about it because of protestors.”
Ms Speid said the driving ban would significantly impact her life as she would no longer be able to visit and help her mum who has mutliple sclerosis, nor will she be able to take her son to school and football.
However, the mum added that she does not blame the Insulate Britain protestors, sharing that the protestors she bumped with her car did not want to press charges, and even wrote a letter to the court asking for the case to be discontinued.
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