This morning in Hobart Magistrates Court, a Tasmanian logger faced trial over an alleged assault that occurred against a peaceful forest protester who was defending critically endangered Swift Parrot habitat from logging. A young woman’s life was put at risk by the dangerous actions of Patrick Mellor at a logging area in southern Tasmania in May 2023.

“Our fellow forest defender was up high in a tree-sit on a cable logging machine when contractor Patrick Mellor climbed on one of the logging machines and was looking at the rope attached to the tree-sit. We warned him of the danger to the person in the tree-sit if the rope was tampered with. Then I heard Lenny on the platform screaming, her tree-sit fell a few metres, and the rope that attached her tree sit to the logging machines was gone,” said Charley Gros, on the witness stand today.

“This logger Mr Mellor has been present at several forest protests and knows how dangerous it is to tamper with these ropes. He was also informed at this protest that a person’s life was attached to the line, but went ahead and cut it anyway. Patrick Mellor has to be held accountable for the threat he posed to a young activist’s life. All of our protests are non-violent and forest defenders have never hurt anyone. They are there to protect Tasmania’s native forests, they don’t deserve to have their lives threatened by loggers,” said Jenny Weber.

“Tasmanian forest defenders regularly face abuse and assaults from members of the logging industry. This thuggish behaviour has gone on for years and needs to stop,” said Jenny Weber.

The trial is adjourned until 28 November.