Man pleads guilty to two offences following large disruption on A12

A man has pleaded guilty to two offences, following an incident which resulted in the A12 being closed for over five hours last October.

Simon Graham, 55 of Hunting Gate, Colchester appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, 23 February where he pleaded guilty to intentionally/recklessly causing a public nuisance and having an article with a blade or point.

Officers were called to the A12, close to Junction 26 at around 11:15am on Tuesday, 10 October 2023 following the concern for safety of a man on a bridge.

Graham had climbed onto the wrong side of the barrier and claimed that this was in an act of protest.

Our officers were supported by Essex Fire and Rescue service, Highways England and the ambulance service to attempt to bring the man to safety. The A12 had to be partially closed, causing huge disruption for road users. Whilst on the bridge, Graham sent multiple messages to friends including one which said “how bad is the traffic in town bud? Sorry for any loss of £££ you may be experiencing because of me.”

Following work from trained negotiators who attended the scene, Graham climbed over the right side of the barrier and the traffic could be relieved shortly before 5pm.

Graham was arrested and charged the following day with intentionally/recklessly causing a public nuisance and having an article with a blade or a point.

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston said “This was an incident which not only caused a huge amount of disruption to the public but also took away dozens of emergency service workers from helping others across the county.

“We will of course take any report of a concern for welfare seriously and I can assure you that an arrest was only made in this case as it was clear that Graham was carrying out protest activity.

“We have spoken to members of the public who were affected by Graham’s protest, with many missing out on work and appointments as a result.

“Detectives in our Criminal Investigation Department have worked hard to build this case against Graham and hold him accountable for his actions.”

Simon Graham will appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on 30 April for sentencing.