Violent Hunt Thug “Saddo Saddington” on the Run

On 16^th March 2019, violent hunt thug Luke Saddington launched a terrifying attack on hunt saboteurs, ramming both the Manchester and Sheffield Hunt Saboteurs vehicles off the road, to prevent them from keeping tabs on the Grove & Rufford Hunt.

After a successful campaign by sabs to identify Saddington, he was later arrested and charged with two counts of criminal damage to motor vehicles and one count of dangerous driving. Despite pleading guilty to these charges, he has been awaiting sentencing, due to his involvement in another case, which the judge stated needed to be resolved first.

This week we have finally learned the full details of that case which shows exactly the kinds of people that are involved in illegal hunting.

Freelance journalist Simon Hare was in court and reported:

Two thugs who smashed their way into a couple’s home before tying them up and robbing them have been given lengthy jail sentences.

Luke Saddington and Simon Noble subjected the man and woman to a terrifying ordeal before fleeing with a haul including cash, watches and guns.

Lincoln Crown Court heard Saddington (36), of Norwood Avenue, Maltby, South Yorkshire, is thought to have fled the country. He was tried and sentenced for the robbery in his absence.

Noble (35), from King Street, Worksop, Nottinghamshire, had pleaded guilty to the robbery at Wragby, Lincolnshire, in January 2018. A third man who took part in the late-night raid was never identified.

The court heard the couple, aged 64 and 59 at the time, were woken up by a brick being thrown through the bedroom window of their rural bungalow, which landed on their bed.

The man, who suffers from Parkinson’s, wrestled with one of the balaclava-clad intruders after they climbed through the window and was then hit in the face, causing severe swelling to his eye.

His wife, who had recently undergone a hip replacement operation, was also hit around the head, and both had their wrists bound with cable ties.

The men demanded to know where the couple kept the keys to their safe and gun cabinets and ordered them to keep their heads down.

During an hour-long ordeal, the trio ransacked the house before fleeing in the couple’s car with £2,800 cash, several watches, commemorative coins and notes, four shotguns and a baseball bat.

As they left, the men placed the couple in the bathroom and freed their hands but told them not to phone for help for another ten minutes, which they complied with.

Prosecuting barrister John Hallissey said: “They were huddled together, went to check on their dog, and then dialled 999.

“It was a traumatic experience. They thought they were going to die.”

Saddington was sentenced in his absence on Friday (25/04/25) to 14 years for the robbery. Noble was jailed for 11 years and eight months.

Judge Catarina Sjolin Knight (no hyphen) said: “This was a brutal, pre-planned robbery of two late middle-aged people with vulnerabilities.”

The court was told Saddington had left the UK via Dover and was believed to be in Dubai at one point, but his whereabouts now are not known.

The Grove & Rufford Hunt are notorious for their violence towards sabs, and although the details of this attack are shocking, we are not surprised that they would invite Saddington and his associates to their meets with the sole intention of causing mayhem and violence.

Six years on, it looks like we are still no closer to Saddington being held accountable for his actions that day.

A spokesperson from Sheffield Hunt Sabs said:

“This just goes to show the kind of company the Grove & Rufford Hunt  are willing to keep in an attempt to deter sabs. How much lower can you go than a thug who arms himself before beating and robbing an elderly couple?  It’s been a long time since the terrifying ramming by Saddington and he was never brought to “justice” despite pleading guilty in 2020, now he’s been sentenced to 14 years in prison, but guess what? He’s fled the country. If he’d been sentenced after pleading guilty to the attack on us he should have been in a prison cell and unable to flee the country.”

A spokesperson from Manchester Hunt Sabs added:

“We welcome the news that Luke Saddington has received such a lengthy sentence, and we hope the police are doing everything in their power to locate him. He’s clearly a very dangerous and violent thug  as shown by this horrific home invasion, as well as his eagerness to ram our vehicles off the road. It comes as no surprise to us that the Grove & Rufford would associate with these kinds of people, they have shown time and time again that they are willing to use violence to deter sabs – yet it never works.”