The otherwise obscure son of respectable middle-class parents in Berkshire, Hooper was said to be a bright and promising boy at school. He shot to fame in 1996 when a new bypass was being constructed to carry the A34 around Newbury, his home town.
Joining the anti-road protest movement which was gathering in popularity at the time, he dug himself into tunnels at Fairmile in Devon and was the last to be evicted. Aged 22, he faced the press, and instantly became nationally famous.
Biography
Picture credits
- Photo above is © 1997 BBC.
With thanks to Nicholas Lawley for information on this page.