Five hunt saboteurs have (Monday, 5th September) been handed suspended custodial sentences at Leicester Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of public order offences.
The group, who call themselves the ‘Stockport Monitors’, used “threatening behaviour” toward three victims, including a 15-year-old girl.
The men, aged between 21 and 47, travelled from the North West to the Cottesmore Hunt in Oakham on 29th January 2022.
The court heard they are part of a group that “targets” hunts. They were “extremely aggressive” and the victims felt “intimidated by their behaviour”.
The court heard that the men wore black and played loud music from a Land Rover Discovery.
For each of the three offences, the men were given custody ranging from 4-6 weeks. Running consecutively that amounts to 12-18 weeks, suspended for 12 months. Paul Allman, Cameron Allman, Charley Waring and Reuben Waterhouse were given 100 hours unpaid work to complete while, Matthew Slater was given a 3-month tagged curfew, owing to poor health.
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Polly Portwin, Director of the Campaign for Hunting at the Countryside Alliance said: “The act of protest is a fundamental right, however, hunt saboteur activity routinely crosses the line between what is acceptable and what is unlawful.
“While small in numbers, hunt saboteurs can be incredibly violent individuals that are a danger to law-abiding citizens. Often disguised in balaclavas, they terrorise the countryside and are driven purely by a hatred of people, rather than animal welfare. It can never be acceptable to disrupt or prevent lawful activity from taking place.
“It is right that these five men are held accountable for their appalling actions and we are pleased to see the law upheld today. The court has sent a strong message that this behaviour will not be tolerated. We hope their victims find comfort in today’s sentencing.”
Feature image used for illustration only.
Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.