A British court imposed a suspended jail sentence on a 30-year-old anti-Israel protester who scaled Big Ben with a Palestinian flag, according to reporting by The Telegraph.
Daniel Day's 17-hour climb atop the monument cost British taxpayers £92,000, the newspaper reported.
Judge Tony Baumgartner at Southwark Crown Court handed down a 14-month sentence, suspended for two years. "This was well-planned offending and you knew precisely what you were doing," The judge said. "Foolishly you climbed a far way up the tower, far enough to cause very serious harm to you and possibly others if you fell."
The judge acknowledged that Day had not reoffended since the incident and had "strong personal mitigation," Including three years of unemployment due to failing eyesight, The Telegraph noted.
Beyond the suspended sentence, Day was ordered to complete up to 20 rehabilitation days and will be subject to electronic monitoring for four months.
Day was found guilty at trial in June of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance. He pleaded guilty to trespassing on the protected parliamentary site.
After reaching a ledge partway up the tower, Day unfurled a Palestinian flag and remained there until around midnight, according to prosecution accounts. Metropolitan Police officers awaited his voluntary descent while anti-Israel protesters gathered nearby to offer encouragement and police diverted traffic from the area.
"Much of this was entirely visible to Mr. Day," The prosecutor stated. "He could see the blocks, he could see what was happening to traffic, and he knew he had caused this."