West Wales Hunt Monitor Shot In The Head

West Wales Anti Bloodsports were monitoring the South Pembrokeshire Hunt at Campshill Farm, near Yerbeston, on October 19th 2011.

They had been observing the hunt from a distance cross-country, and from a vantage point across fields, see through binoculars that the terriermen are once again digging at a hedge bank or row. They make their way on foot across footpaths to where they guess the digging is taking place.

After a short while, as they proceed along a public footpath, they come across the Land Rover of one of the terriermen parked up on a grassy area. Shortly afterwards, six members or followers of South Pembrokeshire Hunt appear. A terrierman is carrying a brown sack with something clearly inside it. The group also have digging equipment and a terrier. One of the group, who had previously threatened the group (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAmjkY9SIpQ&feature=plcp), swears at them and calls them “nig nogs”.

A terrierman asks if one of WWAB wants a fight. The terriermen get into the Land Rover, which then drives off slowly. Seconds afterwards, a sharp metallic retort is heard followed by a cry of pain from one of WWAB, who now has a wound on her forehead which is bleeding profusely. She has been shot with some kind of projectile.

The position of the Land Rover makes it highly unlikely that a shot could have been fired from inside it, which only leaves the vocal and threatening individual and two others as realistic suspects.

WWAB call for the emergency services, and she is taken to hospital by ambulance. The six individuals at the scene are subsequently arrested, and a criminal investigation commences. It concludes in a jail sentence for firearms offences for one of the men – the vocal individual who features in this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAmjkY9SIpQ&feature=plcp). There is no conclusive evidence that proves one of the six individuals present fired at the monitor, although clearly this is by far the most likely explanation. The police later inform WWAB that public order charges against the terrierman who challenged them to a fight were considered but not pursued.