A man has been accused of planning to deface the grounds of a Cotswolds estate where Boris Johnson held his wedding reception, according to court proceedings.
Tim Speers, aged 41, was arrested alongside Sean Middlebrough on July 29 2022 at a Gloucestershire property owned by Lord Anthony Bamford.
The pair were found in possession of spray paint, adhesive substances, and protective clothing.
Lord Bamford, chairman of the JCB construction equipment company and a major donor to the Conservative Party, was scheduled to host the following day’s wedding celebration for the former prime minister and his wife Carrie at his Daylesford Estate residence near Chipping Norton.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court heard that Speers had documented a message in which he claimed to have agreed to carry out an action at the location on behalf of the group Palestine Action.
The recording, made on July 28 2022, detailed plans to use a weed sprayer filled with red paint to inscribe the word Palestine across a heart-shaped pattern allegedly mowed into Lord Bamford’s lawn.
The defendant has since contested the charge of possessing items with intent to cause criminal damage, maintaining that he abandoned the operation upon discovering substantial security arrangements at the estate.
Christiaan Moll, prosecuting, informed the jury that Middlebrough has failed to appear at court and will face proceedings at a later stage.
Officers reported observing the two individuals near the estate carrying beer cans and appearing conspicuously unsuited to the rural environment.
When questioned, both men became visibly uncomfortable and declined to explain their destination, instead offering contradictory claims that they were tourists searching for a railway station.
A search of their belongings uncovered two tins of red and white road marking paint, a canister of black high-temperature coating, and strong adhesive.
Middlebrough was also found carrying a red protective jumpsuit.
Speers’s possessions included two publications containing handwritten notes.
One was a copy of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari bearing contact details with a reference to a media team.
The other was a copy of Lost In Work by Tom Palmer with a business card linked to the animal rights organisation Anonymous for the Voiceless.
The prosecution argued that these items indicated the men had arrived with the purpose of causing disturbance.
According to the court, the defendant’s recorded message identified two individuals from Palestine Action who had approached him requesting the action.
He explained in the recording that Lord Bamford’s company supplied equipment reportedly used by Israeli authorities to demolish Palestinian properties, enabling settlement expansion.
Speers described the operation as straightforward, suggesting it would be easy to justify legally.
The jury was informed that Speers is expected to acknowledge possession of the paint and adhesive as well as creating the audio recording.
However, he intended to depict the act as a symbolic demonstration against the perceived involvement of Lord Bamford, JCB, and Boris Johnson in the situation in Palestine.
The prosecution stated that upon reaching the area, the defendant became aware of the heavy security presence and chose not to proceed with the planned protest.
Speers, whose address was given as Bude in Cornwall, has denied possessing an article with intent to destroy or damage property.