Laura Davy appeals jail sentence as protests continue to disrupt railways in the Hunter
Laura Davy was sentenced to three months jail on Monday. (Supplied: Blockade Australia)
In short:
Laura Davy, 21, was sentenced to three months in jail over her involvement in a two-week long protest to disrupt coal from reaching the Port of Newcastle.
Davy was charged after officers were called out to Port Waratah Coal Services in Koorangang early Sunday morning.
What's next?
Davy has launched an appeal against her sentence.
A 21-year-old protester has been sentenced to three months jail for her involvement in attempts to block rail corridors to one of Australia's largest coal ports.
Laura Davy was one of nearly 30 people to be charged in the past two weeks over ongoing attempts to disrupt trains reaching the Port of Newcastle.
Environmental activist group Blockade Australia has reported more than 90 hours of economic disruption from 27 illegal protests on the Hunter railway network.
The actions have included protesters hanging from traverse lines strung up on bridges, jumping onto coal trains and suspending themselves from trees in the railway corridor.
Newcastle's harbour is Australia's largest coal-exporting port. (ABC Newcastle: Robert Virtue)
Three-month sentence
Davy was charged after officers were called out to Port Waratah Coal Services in Koorangang early Sunday morning.
Police reported Davy and a 22-year-old man had secured themselves to coal reclaimers and were disrupting workers.
Officers arrested the pair and charged them with entering enclosed non-agricultural lands, serious safety risk and entering or remaining on major facility seriously disrupting its use.
Davy pleaded guilty in Newcastle Local Court on Monday to both offences.
She was fined $1,100 for entering non-agricultural lands and received a three-month jail sentence for remaining on a major facility.
An appeal against the custodial sentence was launched.
The matter was relisted for a bail application on Monday afternoon.
Protests the 'most effective thing'
Blockade Australia spokesman Brad Homewood said the group was outraged that a non-violent protester fighting for a sustainable future would be imprisoned.
"We think people like Laura should be celebrated, people who stand up to this system should be celebrated, not put in prison," he said.
"We are deliberately targeting the economic pinch points of the political and economic system of this country and engaging in non-violent direct action.
"Because we believe firmly that that is the most effective thing a person can do right now in a climate and ecological crisis."
Climate activists have been stopping coal trains in the Hunter Valley. (Supplied: Blockade Australia)
Train drivers on stress leave
Australian Rail Track Corporation chief executive Wayne Johnson said the protests had affected more than 500 passenger trains and 220 freight trains since the blockade began two weeks ago.
Mr Johnson said the actions were not only impacting everyday people trying to get to work and appointments, but were also putting protesters, train drivers, emergency personnel and passengers in danger.
"Think about pulling up a laden train, you're talking about 600 metres ... up to 1,500 metres for some of these trains to stop," he said.
"To think you could safely conduct yourself to emergency stop a train, it's ridiculous."
Mr Johnson said it had been an anxious time for train drivers, several of whom were now on stress leave.
Mr Homewood said he was not aware that train drivers had taken stress leave due to the protests.
"I find that very surprising, because all the actions that we've done have been done in the safest way possible," he said.
"We don't put anyone on the tracks, anyone in a position to obstruct anything until we know the train has slowed down and stopped completely."