Girlfriend of jailed Just Stop Oil eco zealot, 34, says life 'isn't easy' for him in prison
The girlfriend of a eco zealot jailed for scaling a bridge on the Dartford Crossing has said life 'isn't easy' for him in prison after launching a petition to stop him from being deported. Marcus Decker, 34, was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison after causing a major traffic jam by climbing up the 275ft bridge in Dartford, Kent in October last year. The stunt by Just Stop Oil caused 40 hours of gridlock as police were forced to shut the crossing to traffic amid safety concerns for him and his fellow protester, Morgan Trowland, 40. The German-born activist - who was jailed in April - is facing deportation after he serves his prison sentence at Highpoint Prison in Suffolk. Decker's girlfriend, Holly Cullen-Davis, has launched a petition calling on the to block him from being sent back to . In an appeal, the mother-of-two said it 'isn't easy for Marcus in prison' as she said the 'double punishment' of deportation is devastating the couple. Decker was jailed for two years and seven months alongside fellow Just Stop Oil protestor Morgan Trowland, 40, of Islington, North London, who was also jailed for three years. The protest saw Decker and Trowland spend 37 hours sleeping in hammocks while suspended above the 275 foot tall Queen Elizabeth II suspension bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent. Their protest caused 40 hours of gridlock as police closed the road beneath them, before arresting the pair of protesters the following day. The two men came down from the bridge with the help of police and a cherry picker on 18 October. The climate protestors were later jailed after being found guilty of causing a public nuisance at Southend Crown Court. Any foreign national is normally automatically deported if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison. Decker and Morgan both denied causing a public nuisance. Just Stop Oil supporters later led a protest that brought central London to a standstill, while claiming the pair were 'wrongly jailed'. The protest saw hundreds of Just Stop Oil supporters make a slow march from Parliament Square to the Home Office last April in support of Decker and Morgan. Decker's girlfriend, Ms Cullen-Davis, has now launched a petition to save the Just Stop Oil protestor from being sent to Germany In a public appeal for 50,000 signatures, Ms Cullen-Davis said that Decker has become a devoted stepfather to her two children since they first met three years ago. The petition, which currently has 35,834 signatures, describes Decker as a 'passionate singer and climate activist' who lives the 'most modest life possible'. 'My partner Marcus Decker is being threatened with deportation - because he joined a peaceful protest against the government's inaction on the climate crisis,' the petition says. 'Please help us and sign this petition calling on the Home Office to stop his deportation. 'Marcus and I fell in love three years ago. We were brought together by our joint passion for music and for protecting our planet. He became a wonderful stepfather to my two children.' 'As a result of their protest, Marcus was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison. It isn't easy for Marcus in prison and it is desperately sad for my family. We miss him every day.' 'The prison banned Marcus from speaking to the media making it even more difficult for him to speak about the reasons for his protest. 'But as if such a high prison sentence was not bad enough, Marcus, a German citizen, is now being threatened with deportation. This double punishment is devastating for us. 'If deported, he would be separated from us, his family, his home, his community and his adopted country. 'Marcus has already been separated from us for seven months and now he might never come home again.'