LONDON - Eight men who provoked one of Britain's most dramatic security scares when they broke into the House of Commons escaped with only a light sentence.
The demonstrators - who included Otis Ferry, son of rock star Bryan Ferry, and two friends of Britain's royal family - were protesting against a ban on fox hunting when they broke into parliament in September 2004.
At Bow Street magistrates court in London, Judge Timothy Workman found all the defendants guilty of disorderly behaviour and sentenced them to conditional discharges of 18 months -- a measure which means they are free to go but must not break the law again during that period.
He also ordered them to pay £350 ($910) each in costs.
The charges carried a maximum fine of £5000 and six months in jail.
Workman told them he had treated them as "men of good character".
All eight -- aged from 22 to 42 -- entered the historic parliament building disguised as workmen, carrying clipboards and wearing overalls and hard hats.
They walked unchallenged to the corridors outside the historic wood-panelled debating chamber of the House of Commons where they shed their disguises and donned white, pro-hunting campaign T-shirts.
Three were stopped before they made it into the chamber, where a debate on the hunting ban was taking place.
The other five all burst in, wagging fingers at the few parliamentarians present before being tackled by ushers clad in tailcoats -- with one in knee-breeches carrying a sword.
The protest failed and the ban on hunting with dogs came into force in February this year.
None of the protesters offered any violence or resistance, a fact mentioned several times and praised by Workman as he summed up at the end of the four-day trial.
However, he did find that they had caused some alarm and had acted in a disorderly manner.
Police welcomed the conviction.
"These men had no intention of being part of a lawful demonstration but pre-planned and committed a criminal offence," said Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Steve House.
"I am in no doubt that some of those inside the Chamber and other staff were at the very least alarmed by the actions of these men undertaking such a criminal reckless act," he added.
Ferry, a hunt master in the western English county of Shropshire, said the protest had been worthwhile despite the conviction.
"To us, it is also a victory because you're all still here and you're all still interested," he told reporters outside the court.
"And at the end of the day this is about hunting, it's nothing to do with disorderly behaviour," he added. "The whole reason we went there was to make our voices heard."
It was the first time protesters had reached the Commons floor to confront the country's leaders since 1647 when a mob stormed parliament to protest against secret talks with King Charles I.
- REUTERS
Fox hunters convicted for UK parliament break-in
A television grab shows protesters opposed to a ban on fox-hunting entering Britain's Parliament last year. Picture / Reuters
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