Juror on Victoria Memorial vandalism case faces contempt charge after he popped down to have a look

Five Animal Rebellion activists who hurled fake blood over Queen Victoria Memorial are facing jail after they were convicted of criminal damage. Christopher Bennett, 33, Riley Ings, 27, Louis McKechnie, 23, Claire Smith, 26 and Rachel Steele, 48, defaced the white marble statue outside Buckingham Palace. They threw red liquid over the memorial and let off flares on 26 August 2021, Southwark Crown Court heard. The protestors were seen with signs that read ‘Animal Agriculture: A Royal Blood Bath’. The…