Just Stop Oil activists who cut through fence in bid to spray paint Taylor Swift's jet avoid jail

Just Stop Oil activists who hoped to deface Taylor Swift's private jet but ended up spraying two other planes have been spared jail.

Jennifer Kowalski, 29, from Dumbarton, and Cole Macdonald, 23, from Brighton, cut through the fence at Stansted Airport with an angle grinder on 20 June 2024.

They took turns spraying two planes with paint and filming. Both denied criminal damage but were found guilty after a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The court heard they tried to target Swift's jet but the two planes they sprayed belonged to an insurance firm and an investment group.

Kowalski, who has previous convictions over protests in Scotland, was sentenced to five months in prison - suspended for 12 months.

Macdonald was sentenced to six weeks - suspended for eight months.

Judge Alexander Mills said: "I've no doubt the reason you switched to the other jets was because you had been spotted."

He said a plane refueller had recalled how he beeped his horn and "described you seemingly being triggered into action".

Judge Mills said Kowalski's actions were "affected by your neurodivergence" and also noted Macdonald's autism diagnosis.

The pair each brought a large bag to court in case they were locked up, but hugged in the dock after hearing the sentence.

"The actions of the two of you were all about publicity - both for Just Stop Oil and for yourselves," the judge added.

"What greater publicity could there be than anything related to Taylor Swift," he added. "That's what you hoped to achieve."

Read more from Sky News:
24 hours in the kill zone in Ukraine
Hurricane set to slam Jamaica with 140mph winds and floods

Prosecutor David Barr said the cost of cleaning the jets was £12,576 and it was £19,234 to repair the fence.

Another £24,000 was spent on consultation and inspection fees by engineers who chose the right chemical to remove the paint.

However, Kowalski was fined just £480 and must do up to 30 programme requirement days during her sentence.

Macdonald must complete up to 20 days of a rehabilitation activity.

Laura O'Brien, from the firm defending the pair, said her clients had hoped to get Swift to "speak up about the climate crisis, to harness her celebrity to bring attention to the climate crisis and to highlight the singer's frequent use of her private jet".

Speaking outside court, Kowalski said: "It's a very bittersweet moment because we know this could have been a lot worse and people have got a lot worse happen to them for a lot, lot less."

She said the pair were "acting on conscience on what we thought was the right thing in the face of a collapsing climate, which is something that wasn't ever really discussed in the court".

(c) Sky News 2025: Just Stop Oil activists who cut through fence in bid to spray paint Taylor Swift's jet avoid jail