An author and academic who received a suspended prison sentence for demonstrating against tree-felling work in Sheffield has made a plea for the council to help clear his criminal record and compensate him for the “mental, emotional and reputational harm” caused.
On Tuesday the local authority issued a four-page apology for its “flawed” programme to fell 17,500 street trees – many of which were healthy – after an independent inquiry found a “serious” mishandling of the long-running dispute.
“Protesters and campaigners were maligned, injured and experienced physical, emotional and, for some, financial stress,” the letter said. “The action the council took damaged Sheffield’s reputation in a way that casts a long shadow.”
In 2018, Dr Simon Crump received a two-month jail sentence, suspended for one year, after a judge found he and other protesters had broken an injunction that prevented them from entering “safety zones” set up around trees being felled.
Crump, who previously won “most inspirational student tutor” while teaching creative writing at Huddersfield University, dismissed the apology as “not enough”.
Three years ago he took redundancy and, having to declare the conviction on job applications, he has since been unable to find another academic post. He now works as a cleaner and shopfitter to make ends meet.
“We have suffered mental, emotional and reputational damage,” said Crump. “They need to do whatever they need to do to get those cases annulled.”
He said his relationship broke up as a result of the saga and he had to leave Sheffield after receiving more than 100 death threats.
“The human cost to all of this was huge. If you Google me now, one of the first pictures that comes up is me being handcuffed by two police officers,” he said. “Try explaining that to potential employers.”
The leader of Sheffield city council, Tom Hunt, said: “The [independent] report recommended we drop any claims for unpaid fines, which we have done, and we have paid back those who paid fines issued by the council at the time. We have formally apologised for our actions and have made a promise to do better.
“The council does not have the power to exonerate anyone, but we have committed to working with the handful of people who breached the injunction to apologise to them directly and do everything possible to mitigate any ongoing challenges they face.”
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While the council refunded Crump’s legal fees, Crump now wants compensation. “They should put their money where their mouth is,” he said.
He accused the council of deliberately turning residents against each other, mischaracterising protesters as “middle-class tree huggers”. Demonstrations turned nasty, he said, claiming to have been “knocked out cold” during one altercation. “I’ve never been so frightened in my life.”
On another occasion, the Daily Mail posted a video of him lying on a branch as it was being fed into a chipping machine, which he claimed resulted in 138 death threats.
The whole experience has changed Crump, who has co-authored a book about the battle for Sheffield’s trees, called Persons Unknown. “I have gone from being a confident showoff to being someone who is anxious about everything,” he said.
Despite it all, Crump insists it was worth it. “It was fantastic. It was the most fun you could have with your clothes on. But when the dust settles you do think: oh God, what have I done? But it will always be the thing I’m most proud of.”