HSA news release 18th January 1995
With one case of aggravated trespass against a hunt saboteur in Kent having already failed (Kent CPS dropped all criminal charges in return for a bindover), the next rash of cases are coming to court in the next few weeks. Current trial dates available are as follows:
- Thursday 19th January, Wigton Magistrates:A Cumbria saboteur is appearing before magistrates on charges of aggravated trespass.
- Friday 27th January, Hexham Magistrates: Tyneside saboteur is appearing before magistrates on charges of aggravated trespass.
- Thursday 2nd February, Maidstone Magistrates:2 Kent saboteurs are appearing before magistrates to face charges of aggravated trespass.
Other cases currently going through the courts, but with no trial date set as yet, include 5 saboteurs at Corby, 3 at Swindon, several in Essex, and 2 at Kettering. We will issue further details of trial dates as they become available.
All the defendants have pledged they will fight their cases vigorously through every stage of the judicial system if necessary, up to and including the European Court of Human Rights. Hunt saboteurs will neither surrender their right to protest nor abandon the animals who rely on us, whatever the Home Office tries. We repeat the pledge we made when the act was announced: as long as there are bloodsports there will be hunt saboteurs.
We would also like to point out that so far this season, Michael Howard has been found by various courts to be in breach of the law far more often than hunt saboteurs. Nor can the rest of his colleagues in government and cabinet be said to have an unblemished record in the courts (all further enquiries to D. Hurd, T. Gorman, S. Porter, B. Legg etc., etc. ad nauseam).
Total number of saboteurs arrested under Criminal Justice Act so far: 95