VETERAN peace campaigner Lindis Percy has criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for dropping charges against her - a move which prevented her from testing the legality of bylaws in force at the United States spy base at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate.

Percy, a 61-year-old grandmother, of Bellfield Avenue, Holderness, Hull, was arrested at the base last Friday, and appeared before magistrates at Harrogate, accused of contravening the bylaws by refusing to leave the land when asked.

She pleaded not guilty and the hearing was adjourned until March 24.

She said she had deliberately broken the law because she feared the CPS would drop another bylaws charge against her before it came to trial, as it had done on four previous occasions.

She was anxious to test the validity of the bylaws in court. Campaigners had got rid of one set of bylaws in 1993 by going to the High Court, and believed they could have the latest ones scrapped. But there had been a history of arrest, charge and cases dropped.

"My intention on Friday was to absolutely break the law so I could be brought to court, and sort this bylaws matter out,'' she added.

Percy persuaded the court to scrap a bail condition that she should not go within 50 metres of the perimeter fence at Menwith Hill.

Instead she is banned from entering Ministry of Defence land at the base.

Percy said that as a co-ordinator of the Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases, she needed to attend peaceful protests each Tuesday, and as a Quaker, wanted to be at their services outside the main gate every other month.

"These bail conditions are about denial of protest, and at this very

troubled time it is even more important for people to express concern about the fact that we are going to go into war with Iraq.''

Prosecutor Caroline Midgley, who made no comment on the dropped charges complaint, said Percy should not be prohibited from taking part in religious meetings or from joining in protests.

Updated: 11:24 Wednesday, February 26, 2003