During the
winter of 1994 terrified young calves were flown from Coventry to end their
lives in Dutch veal-crates. A few people started protesting at the airport
gates. Jill was one.
As a transporter came down the road to the gates she would run to it, shouting
at the drivers to think about the suffering they caused. The few police there
would turn out and simply man-handle her and anyone else behaving similarly
out of the way.
Then came February 1st 1995. There were about 76 police there that day and
about 32 demonstrators. Jill and a few others eluded the police, most of whom
were in a van at the back, and reached the transporter. Any good driver would
have stopped until it was safe to continue, but Stephen Yates just drove on,
regardless and uncaring.
"Jill was crushed and died on the way to hospital. Our mother, Nancy,
was with her. The driver has never been charged, not even with 'driving without
due care & attention'. AT THE INQUEST THE POLICE STATED THAT THEIR ACTIONS
HAD BEEN PLANNED BY A SPECIALIST TACTICIAN, AND THAT THE DAY HAD BEEN VERY
SUCCESSFUL..." - Zab Phipps
The following was written by a friend of Jill's, Pam Brown:
"I first met Jill in 1983-84. She and her mother Nancy and a few others
were holding a stall in Coventry. I kept in touch with animal rights and the
hunt sabs, but didn't get involved due to health reasons
When the situation at Coventry started I thought 'not on my patch you dont'
and I became an active member of the protest at the airport and tried not
to miss any flights. Jolley was flying planes full of calves out 8 times a
day.
The night
before Jill was killed was spent at the airport, I had returned from a four
day walk to parliament from Coventry to try and get the useless M.P's off
their arses but to no avail. We had suceeded in pressuring the Jolley machine
so much that one of the Boeing 737s had crashed trying to meet deadlines.
We spent January the 31st at an all night vigil in pouring rain, luckily we
had use of my VW camper van. I used to talk to Jill about loads of things,
the world, its problems, the scum farmers, etc. I think Jill and I were convinced
not to bring any more children into this nightmare.
On the 1st of February I met Jill at about 3pm at the airport. We had a chat
and I showed her an alsation dog who I had adopted. She was quite happy, she
had stopped smoking and was generally settled. We were confident of defeating
Barrett Jolley. When we knew the truck was coming we crept past the coppers
(there were 90 cops on duty). We intended to slow the trucks progress by myself
and another chaining ourselves to it. The last conversation I had with Jill
was that we'll slow this truck as much as possible, go home and get some tea
and return to the airport later.
The last thing I saw of Jill was when I was trying to chain myself to the
drivers mirror. I was grabbed by the police and we were led back to the main
group. It was half an hour before it was confirmed that Jill had been killed.
I have never been so devastated as I was over Jills death. I will never forgive
those involved in animal abuse and to a certain extent the meat eating public
who are as much to blame - if the trade in animal cruelty and death didn't
exist we would never have had to demonstrate.
I will never forget Jill and love her forever, Pam Brown.