Hunt saboteur,
Mike Hill, was killed on the 9th of February 1991 at a meet of the Cheshire
Beagles.
Towards the end of the day's hunting, with no kill under his belt, the huntsman
boxed up his hounds in a small blue trailer being towed by an open-top pick-up
truck. The kennel huntsman, ALLAN SUMMERSGILL, with another man, jumped into
the pick-up and, on impulse, three sabs (hunt saboteurs) who were nearby,
jumped onto the back of it to prevent them driving the pack to another location
to continue hunting. Summersgill drove off at high speeds down winding country
roads for 5 miles with the terrified sabs clinging onto the back. It is thought
that Mike jumped from the pick-up as it slowed to take a bend. He failed to
clear the truck properly, and was caught between the truck and the trailer,
which crushed him. Mike died where he lay on the road. Despite the thud, and
the screams of the other sabs, Summersgill continued driving for a further
mile. The truck only came to a halt when one of the sabs smashed the rear
window of the cab. The sab was hit with a whip as he tried to stop the truck.
Once it had stopped one sab ran back to Mike's prone body while the other
ran to a nearby house to call for an ambulance. Summersgill drove off. He
later handed himself in at a police station. No charges were brought against
him and in a travesty of justice, a verdict of 'Accidental Death' was brought
at the inquest. Summersgill is still hunting hares.