Insulate Britain supporters could today face jail for telling a jury that the climate emergency was their reason for blocking a central London road in October 2021 – despite escaping punishment for the protest itself.

In a divisive ruling identical to one that saw another Insulate Britain supporter jailed for eight weeks last month, Judge Silas Reid ordered three defendants charged with causing a public nuisance not to mention the climate crisis, fuel poverty or property insulation in court.

Two of the defendants – 65-year-old Giovanna Lewis, from Dorset, and 38-year-old Amy Pritchard, from London – defied Reid’s order during their trial at the Inner London Crown Court earlier this week.

The public nuisance case ultimately collapsed after the jury failed to reach a majority verdict, and Lewis and Pritchard will now be tried for contempt of court. If found guilty, they could be handed prison sentences of up to two years and fines of up to £2,500.

Until now a court order has prevented the contempt case from being reported on.

Lewis was the first to make her closing statement in the public nuisance trial on Monday. Addressing the jury, she said: “Every year thousands of UK citizens die of fuel poverty… Climate change kills thousands of people. In the future this will be millions.

“Government policies are responsible and the judiciary should prevent this instead of criminalising ordinary people trying to save lives and acting in self-defence. We are good people. We do not want to disrupt people. We want to save lives.”

Lewis added: “Men that fought for gay rights broke the law. Women that fought for women’s rights broke the law.”

The jury was hurriedly escorted out of the courtroom following her comments, while onlookers in the public gallery broke into applause and were kicked out after a brief standoff with security staff.

Addressing jury members on their return, Reid said: “Mrs Lewis knows she was not allowed to say the things she did to you.”

He instructed them to ignore everything she had said, adding that the trial was not about climate change, fuel poverty or insulation, “however much Mrs Lewis would like it to be”.

The public gallery remained closed for the rest of the hearing, leaving family and friends who had shown up to support the trio waiting in the court lobby.

Up next to give her closing statement was Amy Pritchard, who began by discrediting the prosecution’s “flimsy” and “weak” evidence of their participation in public nuisance.

As she reached a conclusion in her statement, she told the jury: “The climate crisis and fuel poverty are killing people now. I will not be prevented from saying this to the jury…. Ordinary people have to step up. It is my motivation and it is relevant.”

The public nuisance case collapsed after approximately 12 hours of jury deliberation. The hearings for the contempt of court charges will begin later today.