THE wife of the Deputy Prime Minister feared for her life when Greenpeace activists staged an early-morning demonstration on the roof her home, a court was told yesterday.

Pauline Prescott told magistrates in Hull that she was afraid that terrorists were about to come crashing through the window of the family home in the city. She was giving evidence on the first day of the trial of eight Greenpeace activists who deny using threatening, abusive or insulting words and behaviour and another charge of contravening a police direction.

The court was told that a large number of protesters arrived outside John Prescott’s mock Tudor house early on April 26, immediately outnumbering two armed police officers and swarming over the gate.

The district judge was told that the officers holstered their drawn weapons when they were assured that the intruders were unarmed Greenpeace activists. The protesters climbed up ladders on to the turreted roof, set up solar panels and unfurled two large banners with the words, “Oi! Two Jags. Hit targets, not voters”.

Mrs Prescott, whose husband was away on the election campaign trail, said that she was woken at 6.15am by a police officer on her intercom. He told her there were people on the roof and that she should lock herself in her bedroom.

Asked how she felt at the time, she replied: “Absolutely terrified. In fear of my life.”

Mrs Prescott said that it was only 30 minutes later that her husband was able to get through to her on the phone to tell her that it was a Greenpeace demonstration. She said that the call calmed her a little.

Mrs Prescott said that she made her way to the bedroom occupied by Della Georgeson, her husband’s secretary, the only other person in the house. The pair retreated to Mrs Prescott’s bedroom, where they stayed for eight hours. After 2pm they went downstairs, where they watched the drama unfolding on television news.

Asked how she felt at the time, she replied: “Absolutely awful, terrorised. What really did annoy me is that these people knew that I was on my own. That really was cowardly.”

During cross-examination Francis Fitzgibbon, for the defendants, suggested that Mrs Prescott had been exaggerating how frightened she had been.

“I think that is quite disgusting,” she replied.

Earlier she had rounded angrily on the defendants, telling them that her husband had been a great supporter of their cause and had once swum up the Thames to protest against nuclear dumping.

The defendants are: Samuel Daniel, 33, Sarah North, 36, Catherine Dorey, 36, Laura Yates, 28, all of London; Steven Scott, 34, of Matlock, Derbyshire; Andrew Taylor, 36, of Stroud, Gloucestershire; Victoria Thomas, 27, of Howey, Powys; and Martin Cotterill, 38, of Penrith, Cumbria.

The trial continues today.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• UK regional accents thrive against the odds
• ‘Scarecrow’ wind farms put rare birds to flight
• What an anti-climax: G-spot is a myth