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Below details examples of violent acts upon animal rights activists where the accused remain wrongly unconvicted. One example of a matter on which we cannot elaborate is the case of a young mother hospitalised by police brutality on her first ever demonstration in 1999. She is still suffering immensely as a result. Another example, also taking place in 1999, is a man in his fifties, who was arrested so violently that his arm was broken. Even so he was left with handcuffs on. He had committed no crime and does not face any charges, but he is still unable to work due to his injury.

On the 17th June 2004 a demonstration took place at Oxford University against their proposed lab. One disabled protester went round the corner and started leafleting cars and putting some through letter boxes.After finishing the leaflets she walked towards the lab, she asked a builder directions to the front of the building, as she was given instructions two university security guards came up behind her and shouted for her to go immediately which she complied with. The builder realising she was an animal rights activist then started to shout and rave, he told her that she was no better than a football hooligan a bit far fetched seeing this lady is only 4ft8.She was totally disgusted with his attitude and told him vivisection was dangerous to people, she then showed him her back which is disfigured, she has 'Scoliosis' and had one operation that had gone wrong because of an incorrect method of bone grafting, which obviously would have been tested on animals first. He had no answer for this so she walked away. After getting back to the pavement this lady was approached by two Thames Valley Police Officers who demanded she give them her name and address, she refused, and was told she was going to be arrested for showing her disfigurement in public, at this she went into shock and had a panic attack, she told them it was not a crime to be disfigured. The other policeman then laughed at her and told her she had a chip on her shoulder, given that this lady has a lump on her back because her ribs are out of place this was totally disgusting behaviour, they then arrested her. This lady also has severe heart problems and started experiencing increasing chest pains, afraid the police would abuse her by denying her medical help she dialled for an ambulance before her mobile was seized. The ambulance was there in minutes and the crew who took her inside were brilliant. They checked her heart rate which was up and did other tests and advised her for a check up at the hospital.The two police officers outside told her husband they were de-arresting her,then disappeared. This lady was then driven home and spent two days recovering from this disgusting ordeal at the hands of Thames Valley Police.
In May 2004 61 year old Janet Tomlinson was assaulted outside Burton Police Station by the notorious PC Rushton; in classic irony she was subsequently arrested by him, charged with assault and incarcerated for several hours! Over the forthcoming months the case was repeatedly adjourned until finally in June this year the whole case was completely dismissed by the magistrates because of the "many inconsistencies of the arresting officer and his colleagues evidence." The seeming epidemic of selective recollection, hotheaded and impetuous arrests, the host of acquittals and masses of inappropriate remarks made by the members of Operation Tribune over the years should bring its whole existence into question.
An animal rights activist in Mumbai had gone to the police station expecting assistance from the police in preventing the illegal slaughter of goats. He had been tipped off that two truck loads od goats were being bought for slaughter by local butchers, but instead of assisting him a police officer beat him up and a butcher stabbed him inside the police station. No case was brought, the police have denied the charges claiming that the activist hurt himself.
In September 2003 hunt saboteurs who had saved a fox from death were attacked and the fox was thrown live to a pack of hounds at a hunt near pulborough. A hunt sab had managed to intervene when eight hounds from the Chiddingfold, Leconfield and Cowdray Hunt were mauling a fox. The fox was still alive and traumatised as the sab carried it to a nearby colleague. Their intention was to get the fox emergency veterinary attention and save its life. The sab was then throttled by a huntsman. Another sab on his first protest at a fox hunt who was holding the fox was attacked by another member of hunt staff and his mobile phone was broken. The fox who was still alive was thrown to the waiting pack of hounds.
Jonathon Broise based at the Petworth kennels of the hunt was taken to Chichester police station after he rode over Wendy Bridle and used his hunting horn as a weapon to strike the face of Paul Loader. Wendy suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractures. Paul received cuts to his face and a smashed tooth. The week before Paul loader had made a statement of assault to the police after he was strangled by Broise.
In August 2003 a hunt saboteur was attacked at a meet of the Chiddingfold, Leconfield & Cowdry Hunt and taken to hospital with head injuries. Sussex police were called to the incident in which the protestor was attacked by two men at Bignor Park, the police have visited the home of a suspect. The attack follows threats from hunt supporters just days before at the neighbouring Crawley & Horsham Hunt when a 16 year old boy was attacked and beaten up in a similar incident.
The notorious hunt terrier-man Adrian Thompson was aquitted of charges including criminal damage, common assault and affray. The decision, which suprised even members of the press who had been following the trial, arose from sn unprovoked and violent attack on a Hunt Saboteurs van at a meeting of the Crawley and Horsham Foxhounds in 1996.
In July 03 Broise was found Not Guilty of causing Actual Bodily Harm to two anti hunt protesters, Jaine and Simon Wild at Chichester Crown Court following an 8 day trial.
In April 2003 a man was shot by lampers in Buckinghamshire. They are claiming they thought the man was a fox. The victim had to have his lung removed and had broken ribs.
Six members of the Alliance for Animal Rights were physically assaulted whilst handing out flyers at Courtneys Vegus Circus in Dunlin.An ambulance attaended the scene and gardai arrested and charged one circus employee. all six activists were punched, kicked and thrown to the ground, some requiring stitches.A video camera was taken and smashed by the Circus. Activists witnessed Michael Courtney hitting an Elephant with a rake when they entered the Circus with the Gardai.He also threatened to do six months for attacking whoever else demonstrated at his circus.
Activists were arrested and held over night for removing posters which had been illegally put up by Spirit of the Horses circus. The charges were eventually dropped after spending months on bail with a curfew and reporting restrictions for less that £1. worth of damage. No action was taken against the circus.
A protestor was walking on council land where she walks every day, passed a circus in Evesham when she was threatened with death for being near them and she was pushed and punched. The police reported HER for common assault!
During the afternoon of November 30th 1999, 47 year old Paul Freeth, a book binder from Bournemouth, was bundled into an ambulance by some of the Essex Police officers who'd just broken his hip. He was violently arrested for sitting on a grass verge near the Shamrock monkey farm at Small Dole in West Sussex, in contravention of the Chief Constable's 'Section 14' order banning any such behaviour. The episode was caught on film by protestors nearby (and the ever present police Evidence Gathering teams) and shown on regional news reports later that evening but no officers were charges. Paul Freeth, a slight man, spent weeks in hospital and needed a plate screwed into his hip to repair it.
On the 29th July 2000 Lynn Sawyer a mid wife and former hunt supporter who became disillusioned with the violent response of the hunting fraternity to successful non violent anti hunt activity and went on to campaign for animals, was scarred for life when knocked off a tripod positioned on a road near to Huntingdon Life Sciences vivisection laboratory in Cambridgeshire. The thug responsible was an off duty police officer. She suffered a serious gash to her face causing an everlasting scar beside her left eye and such a serious series of breaks to one of her legs requiring major surgery and the implantation of metal pins that she is left with one leg an inch shorter than the other. Despite the serious nature of the assault and there being 16 independent witnesses to the attack, which took place on the A1 in front of a lonf line of standing traffic, on-lookers and protestors, no charges have yet been brought by the police.
On September 1st 2000, 34 year olf Steve Christmas was nearly killed when a hunt supporter deliberately drove his vehicle at him in a field during a meet of the Old Surrey and Burstow and West Kent Hunt. Paramedics who showed deep concern over his conditioned airlifted him to hospital after the attack from the field at Horstead Keynes in West Sussex. His injuries included broken ribs, internal bleeding and a badly broken pelvis. He spent weeks in intensive care on a ventilator and constantly sedated, he needed a metal plate inserting to repair his pelvis, had to have a section of bowel removed due to complications and needed blood transfusions. He is no longer able to run more than a few yards, but is lucky to be alive. The thug was arrested and released but was later charged with causing GBH and Driving Without Insurance. He was later release on bail, and remains unconvicted.
During April 1999 Zab Phipps lost a finger when police officers protecting Hill Grove Cat Farm lobbed rocks over the fence surrounding the farm into a crowd of protestors, in this case narrowly missing a young child standing next to the victim. No police action was taken.
January 1994 Duke of Buccleuch's Foxhunt. An independent academic, commissioned by the Scottish Office to carry out research on saboteurs and hunting, was knocked to the ground and kicked in the face by the huntsman as he tried to film a fox being killed. The hunt refused to apologise and later attempted to excuse their employee's actions by saying they thought the man was a saboteur.

info@violenceinanimalrights.co.uk