Catherine Gaynor is a salaried GP in Newham and Net Zero Clinical Lead for the North East London NHS Integrated Care Board (until 31st March 2026, when NHS funding cuts meant the post was lost)
In February, I escaped childcare and clinics to attend an afternoon at Snaresbrook Crown Court, London. Later that day, I told my four-year-old I had been to a meeting about some people who had broken glass belonging to some other people, who were spending lots of money digging-up fossil fuels.
“That’s bad isn’t it?” he said.
“The glass or the fossil fuels bit?” I asked.
“The glass, of course,” was his answer.
“That’s bad isn’t it” he said. “The glass or the fossil fuels bit?” I asked – “the glass, of course”, was his answer.
I was at the case brought by the crown prosecution against six medics: Dr Juliette Brown, Dr Alice Clack, Maggie Fay, Dr Patrick Hart, Dr David McKelvey and Ali Rowe. They stood accused of unlawfully cracking eight windowpanes at an office of the bank, JP Morgan Chase. I am going to refer to them as the JPM Six.
On February 16th 2026 the jury unanimously found them not guilty of breaking the law, defying my son’s logic.
The group were a specialist dementia nurse, two GPs, a mental health nurse, a consultant psychiatrist and a consultant obstetrician. Early on the morning of Sunday July 17th 2022, these six clinicians travelled together to Canary Wharf. They carefully and purposefully cracked eight panes of glass in the windows of the JP Morgan European headquarters building. This was a direct action in opposition to the bank’s role in the escalating climate crisis.1 Two days previously, the UK Health Security Agency had issued the UKs first category four heatwave warning. On July 19th 2022 a UK record high of 40.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.2 There were around 3000 UK heat-associated deaths that summer.3
According to the 2025 report, The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, on average 84% of the heatwave days between 2020 and 2024 would not have occurred without climate change.4 Estimates, referenced by UK GOV, predict future heat-associated yearly deaths doubling by 2050.3 This is just in the UK. Imagine the future global deaths (currently around 500000 each year).4 Imagine the parts of the world becoming uninhabitable. Imagine the flooding, droughts, storms and fires, imagine the food and water insecurity. We don’t have to imagine hard, these have all started happening.
The Lancet, a leading medical journal, printed in 2021 “The science is unequivocal; a global increase of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to health that will be impossible to reverse.”5 Five years on, we have failed to adequately act, experts now advise we prepare for 3°C of warming, by 2100.6
Climate break-down is, categorically, a health emergency. But why did these six target JP Morgan Chase bank?
In 2020, a JP Morgan special economic research report was leaked. It had the title: “Risky Business: The Climate and the Macroeconomy” this report detailed the need for a global transition away from fossil fuels, away from ‘Business As Usual’. It said: “Although precise predictions are not possible, it is clear that the Earth is on an unsustainable trajectory. Something will have to change at some point if the human race is going to survive.”7,8 Yet, four years after this report JP Morgan Chase bank was still the largest fossil fuel financier in the world. Committing 53.5 billion dollars (£40 billion) to fossil fuel companies in just 2024, according to the Banking on Climate Chaos report.9 The JPM6 had, with others, tried writing to JP Morgan. They had also joined a peaceful ‘die-in’ at a JP Morgan office (protestors lie on the floor representing dead bodies). JP Morgan were ostensibly quiet on the questions of why business as usual continued, despite their own internal report.
The General Medical Council give doctors their licence to practice. They state in the Good Medical Practice guidance that doctors are expected to be: “protecting and promoting the health of patients and the public”.10 The Nursing and Midwifery Council Nursing Code expects nurses to: ‘Act without delay if you believe that there is a risk to patient safety or public protection’.11
These six responsible colleagues recognised that there is a public health emergency and considered it urgent enough to act. I heard in court how they chose a Sunday as they didn’t want to upset the banking staff. They went early so it wasn’t too hot for the police during their arrest. They cracked the glass rather than smashing it.
In court, I watched through my own tears a juror wipe away her tears as the 22-year-old stepson of Maggie Faye gave his character witness testimony. He described his stepmother’s warmth, reliability and nurturing impact, on his own life and others. I have previously worked on a short food project with Dr David McKelvey; and found him to be kind and humble. Each of the six are raising an alarm, while the rest of us bury our heads, reassured by the lack of concern from lawmakers, government, finance and media. I wonder if these organisations have been infiltrated by reception children who haven’t yet joined the dots.
This was the JPM Six’s second trial; in 2024 a jury couldn’t come to a verdict. The Crown Prosecution chose to pursue a retrial. It appears to me a preventable mass extinction event has started, people are dying.12 Meanwhile our state prioritises the prosecution of six dutiful health experts trying to alert us to a health crisis and call out those funding it. And it illegally proscribes Direct Action as terrorist activity. In February the High Court judged that it was illegal for the UK government to proscribe Palestine Action (a Direct Action protest group) as a terrorist organisation.13
I would argue that these six clinicians, and the twelve jurors, are courageous defenders of human health, and the health of generations that may or may not follow.
When I was in court, the prosecuting council put to Maggie Faye: Wouldn’t it have been a better use of her time to be sitting with one of her dementia patients during the July 2022 heat wave? The unanimous, ‘Not guilty,’ verdict the jury returned offers a powerful answer. The jury looked up and saw the bigger picture. This is a moment for institutions of power to do the same. Yet I still hear silence.
Conversations continue in our house, around fossil fuels and ‘car farts’, why breaking glass in an emergency can be essential and how we look after the planet. I would argue that these six clinicians, and the twelve jurors, are courageous defenders of human health, and the health of generations that may or may not follow. To quote Oscar Wilde: “Disobedience, in the eyes of any one who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.”14 I may not teach that quote to my four-year-old, just yet. But my family and I are very grateful for the JPM Six’s selflessness and disobedience, and the jury’s courage, and we urge you to be too. Don’t let their efforts be in vain, celebrate their story with your friends, families, colleagues, neighbours, politicians… and banks. Break the silence.
If it returns to the stage, go and see: ‘In Case Of Emergency’, a cracking verbatim play, based on the first trial.15 Staged previously at the Southbank Centre. For help to take climate action look up Real Zero.16
References
- https://healthforxr.com/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2022/july-heat-review [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://khub.net/documents/135939561/174099487/Hot+weather+impact+on+health.pdf/b56b020c-885e-2c38-338b-f77c1a694ec4 (Slide 15 and 18) [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01919-1/abstract [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)01915-2/fulltext [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://unclimatesummit.org/comparing-climate-impacts-at-1-5c-2c-3c-and-4c/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/21/jp-morgan-economists-warn-climate-crisis-threat-human-race [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://extinctionrebellion.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/JPM_Risky_business__the_climate_and_the_macroeconomy_2020-01-14_3230707.pdf.pdf [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/?bank=JPMorgan%20Chase#fulldata-panel [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-medical-practice [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/read-the-code-online/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.worldwildlife.org/resources/explainers/what-is-the-sixth-mass-extinction-and-what-can-we-do-about-it/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/huda-ammori-v-secretary-of-state-for-the-home-department-4/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- “The Soul of Man Under Socialism” (1891) Oscar Wilde, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1017 [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/in-case-of-emergency/ [accessed 16/4/26]
- https://www.realzero.earth/ [accessed 16/4/26]
What a brilliant article. We need to talk about this case. Why did the jury find the six not guilty? Because it was the right thing to do.
Beautifully written. An exemplar of why the right to protest must be defended, and that non violent direct action is part of the spectrum of protest that must be defended.
As healthcare professionals we must speak up and act when we see injustice !
Trial by jury is the cornerstone of our democracy. This must be defended against current government attacks.
Beautifully written . Important for the values we teach our children. For our planet . For justice. Thankyou
The reality of the breakdown that is under way is hard for adults to comprehend never name children, as is the scale of transformation required. Being silent and ignoring it is no longer an option – thanks Cat for encouraging radical silence breaking.
Brilliant article and so important to talk about this. Thank you for writing about these six amazing people.