ANTI-WAR protestors who were prosecuted for trespassing on military bases were denied justice, the High Court heard.

Those convicted were treated unfairly and should not have been found guilty because they were trying to prevent an "illegal" war, said a QC.

He accused the courts, which tried their cases, of wrongly blocking their defence and refusing their request for access to Government documents to support their anti-war argument.

The High Court in London was hearing appeals by 14 Greenpeace protesters who were arrested while trying to prevent the military build-up to war in February 2003.

One protestor, Valerie Swain, hit the headlines after she cut the fence at RAF Fairford. She then entered the Gloucestershire base and attempted to disrupt operations.

Maurice Mendelson QC, representing the Greenpeace 14, told Lord Justice Waller and Mr Justice Jack that the trial judges had erred in the cases by ruling their "illegal" war defence "non-justiciable" on the grounds that it related to decisions concerning defence and foreign policy.

Mr Mendelson said, in the case of RAF Fairford, it was widely believed at the time that the base was being used to refuel B52 bombers "which were clearly a major instrument of warfare which delivered bombs on Baghdad and elsewhere."

The hearing was expected to last two days.