A CLIMATE change activist who police allege glued her hands to a lock and dangled from a rail bridge at Kooragang has been given bail with strict conditions.
Blockade Australia protester Claudia Ellen Hannigan, also known as 'Raffi', sat in the dock at Newcastle Local Court on Tuesday morning while the police prosecutor sought to have her bid for bail refused.
"She obviously has some very strong feelings about climate change and that is obviously the reason why we say she has committed these offences in an effort to attract attention to her cause and drive change in that area," he said.
"It was a number of hours before she could be removed from where she erected herself and the rail lines she was hanging above provide for passenger trains travelling up to 160kmph.
"Ms Hannigan demonstrated a significant commitment to ensuring the rail line had to be closed, going so far as gluing her hands onto the lock device she had used, according to police facts.
"These are not victimless crimes, they do cause harm to the community and that is something to be taken into account if there's a plea of guilty or she is found guilty."
He argued there was a need for specific deterrence, pointing out there had been similar yet unrelated climate protests in the Newcastle area recently.
The court heard the driver of a train had to pull the emergency brakes 700 metres ahead of her to avoid hitting the 22-year-old.
Halfway through the matter, Hannigan decided to let go of Legal Aid solicitor Rachel Karrour and represent herself.
Initially she pleaded guilty to the charges against her because she "simply wanted to get out of here" but retracted the plea upon learning the matter would not be finalised on Tuesday.
Magistrate Ian Cheetham did not accept the pleas and ordered Hannigan to return to court in July.
The conditions of her bail mean she is banned from entering any rail corridor in the state except as a fare paying passenger, is not to travel north of Gosford except for legal appointments and must reside at a Leichhardt address.
Police will argue she put the lives of the driver and the five police rescue officers tasked with removing her from the rail corridor at "extreme risk".
While Hannigan has a clean record in NSW, the court heard she was on a nine-month good behaviour bond imposed in QLD when she allegedly committed the offences. It was due to expire this month.
Hannigan is charged with causing obstruction to a railway locomotive and entering enclosed lands giving rise to serious risk to safety.
Emergency services were called to the rail line on Wagtail Way at Kooragang on Monday about 7:15am, on reports a group had gathered, including Hannigan who had allegedly suspended herself from a pole.
Police claim Hannigan was removed from the structure and arrested hours later, about 10.40am.
The Blockade Australia protest was streamed live on social media, where Hannigan said, "we need rapid, large-scale immediate changes" and "we need to put everything we have into this right now, it's a global crisis".
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