Kester Lees KC acts for Trinity College and St John’s College in successful claims for possession and 12 month final injunctions to remove and prohibit protest encampments
On Tuesday, 23 June 2025, judgment [2025] EWHC 1577 (Ch) was handed down in which Kester Lees KC acted successfully for Trinity College and St John’s College in their claims for possession and final injunctions to remove a protestors’ encampment and prohibit any further protests on the Colleges’ land without compliance with the Colleges’ Codes.
The Colleges sought and obtained a precautionary injunctions restraining the Defendants from, amongst other things, establishing further encampments on their land and, further, from carrying out protests without first complying with its regulations governing protest activities on the sites.
Mr Andrew Twigger KC, sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge, applying the approach laid down by Ritchie J in Valero Energy v Persons Unknown [2024] EWHC 134 (KB) and Thompsell J in University of London v Harvie-Clark & Ors [2024] EWHC 2895 (Ch) (in which Kester also acted for the successful applicant), was satisfied that there was a real risk the Colleges would face unauthorised and unplanned protests and trespasses on their land, giving rise to irreparable harm to the welfare of the student and staff communities.
Kester Lees KC was instructed by Mark Robertson of Bevan Brittan LLP.
Kester previously acted when obtaining the interim injunctions within 24 hours of instruction for both Trinity College and St John’s College, and in obtaining a similar 12 month injunction, together with Taylor Briggs, for the University of London in its successful claims for a possession order and an interim injunction in respect of a similar protest encampment in University of London v Harvie-Clark & Ors [2024] EWHC 2895 (Ch).
The Judgment is available to download here.
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