Latest News  7 January 2023

1/23

Coming Soon

“Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Meets” – Special edition of Latest News  coming soon. If you went to a meet, please tell AAF about it here:
https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/data-collection-boxing-day-2022-and-new-years-day-meets-2023/

Please also

Check that you’ve signed this petition:
https://www.change.org/RichardDraxMP

 

POLICE

The Warwickshire Police Rural Crime Team have issued a Community Protection Notice (CPN) against the Warwickshire Hunt. In May, they issued the Hunt with a warning notice about the antisocial use of the country road network but the unreasonable and dangerous use of the roads has continued, and so they have issued the CPN. The Police statement reads:- “The conditions require Warwickshire Hunt to give us advance notice of events, and details of the times and locations of road crossing points. There are also requirements to inform us about who will control dogs during the event, and for the organisation to notify participants about their responsibilities around crossing roads at the designated point.Breaching the conditions will amount to a criminal offence. This is a three-year notice, and the organisation has the right of appeal within 21 days.“

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This is a sentence from the East Yorkshire Coast Hunt Sabs: –

“Every week they kill foxes, block us in, break the law, but when we call the police they very rarely attend, when the hunts call them full of lies and fabricated stories they turn up then harass.”

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The West Kent Hunt Sabs also understand about police harassment. On 17th December, police arrested a sab for standing outside the kennels and his offence was… harassment!

(The video of the incident leading to the arrest shows that the sab was arguing with the police, and this was too much for them to bear and so he was arrested for whatever came into their mind. In this case harassment.) Kent Police are being advised by an ex huntsman whose name is Mike Bax. There is now a petition asking for the removal of Mike Bax as an advisor to the Kent police. Additionally, the Kent Police Officer, Bethan Dumbarton-Scott, is in a relationship with the East Kent huntsman Matthew Vater.

https://www.change.org/p/remove-mike-bax-as-key-advisor-to-kent-police-on-rural-crime

Please sign it.

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Cast your mind back to 2016, and you might remember PC Claire Ford said she was off-duty but nonetheless took it upon herself to assist the Cheshire Hounds by removing sabs from the area they were hunting. She was driving around on a quad at the time.The police review said that she was preventing a breach of the peace. The police investigation whitewashed her offences but she was moved to routine policing in Congleton. To the best of our knowledge she did not go out again, supporting the hunt. PC Claire Ford (now, Claire Roberts) has now, not only been dismissed from the Cheshire Police Force but has incurred a suspended prison sentence (8 months suspended for 18 months), 200 hours unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity. She imparted information gleaned through the police to a private individual. The conduct was detected by Staffordshire Police, and Cheshire police did an audit of her use of the police computers. There are elements of the police force that would like to work closer with sabs, but the sabs will not work with them, they are not trusted. This case highlights how untrustworthy some police can be. You wouldn’t even need access to the police computers if you are a hunt sympathiser and in the police force. You could form your own WhatsApp group (like the Charing Cross police) and information can flow freely but undetected. And yet police forces throughout the country continue to accept police officers within their ranks who are clearly involved with hunts.

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Wiltshire Police learned from last year’s riot at the Avon Vale Hunt’s Boxing Day Meet in Lacock. Last year, an officer who rides with the hunt attended the meet, violence erupted and several hunt supporters were prosecuted and convicted. This year, officers were asked to step out if they had any association with a hunt. Police also booked some hunt supporters for illegal parking. If police really do want to improve relations with hunt sabs and monitors, they should follow Wiltshire’s lead, and at the very least, ask officers if they are associated with the hunt in any way before allowing them to attend calls relating to hunting activity.

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Mendip Hunt Sabs report that on 22/12/22 the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt were hosted at the Horsehill Farm Livery, the running of which is assisted by a serving Dorset police officer. The parents of the officer go out with the hunt. On 22 November, The BSV were videoed encouraging hounds to chase a fox out of its hiding place in a hollow tree. The video very clearly shows illegal hunting. However, to date, no Dorset officer has been assigned this case to investigate. We don’t believe this is a coincidence.

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North London Hunt Sabs report that last February the Puckeridge Hunt were able to co-opt the police force to the hunt’s benefit. Since then, the sabs have engaged with the Hertfordshire Police who have had some relevant training arranged and provided by the League Against Cruel Sports. This year the Puckeridge Hunt was not able to co-opt the police as their private security.
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On 29/12/22 supporters from The South Dorset Hunt got a bit uppity and drove dangerously at the sab Landy. The police were called. Two cars turned up within minutes. Dash cam footage is being forwarded to the police. The police, having been requested, remained for the rest of the day.
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The Suffolk and Essex Hunt Sabs page report for the 31/12/22 meet states,  “the Essex with Farmers and Union Hunt were yesterday challenged by police officers from Essex Police Rural Engagement  Team. Weapons and phones were seized after a member of the public… was assaulted…by” members of the hunt.  If the Essex Police follow through with their investigations they will be held in high regard by much of the animal welfare community.
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Police repeatedly tell us to report illegal foxhunting if we see it. However you view the police, this is SO VERY IMPORTANT. There is no need to identify yourself when you report it. AAF have produced a guide showing what to do, and how to do it:

https://www.actionagainstfoxhunting.org/reporting-illegal-foxhunting/

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Hunt Behaviour and Violence

Tue 19/12/22 –  Weymouth Animal Rights (WAR) report that two supporters of the South Dorset Hunt attacked a hunt monitor with a metal bar. He had serious head injuries as well as injuries to his hands and body and he was robbed of his camera. Their Huntsman, Mark Pearson was found guilty of fox hunting on 19/10/22. The victim – a well-known, longstanding, deeply-respected monitor, received immense support from the rest of the Dorset anti-blood sports community, not to mention four very nice bottles of red wine from AAF.  Will Dorset Police take action?  (Last March the Wiltshire police had video evidence relating to an attack on a sab, which left him in a ditch with a bleed on the brain. After a delay of over six months the Wiltshire police then dropped the case.)-On Boxing Day, supporters from the same hunt (South Dorset) slashed 19 tyres on WAR’s vehicles. The hunt PR system got into action as by the following morning (27th Dec) the front page of the Telegraph had an anodyne 2 column inches (and further coverage about hunts on Page 6) asking members not to engage with sabs. The DT deprived their readership of information indicating how extensive and pre planned this vandalism was. Of the 19 tyres slashed, four occurred as the hunt set out from the meet, with non-hunt participants having their car surrounded and all four tyres slashed. This triggered a response from the Police Armed Response Unit as it involved knife crime. (Don’t all tyre slashing events involve knife crime)? Weymouth Animal Rights and North Dorset Hunt Sabs both got their vehicles retyred in record time and were on the scene for sabbing duties by 12 noon, much to the hunt’s chagrin, as they believed they had neutralised the sabs for their day’s hunt.

(Weymouth Animal Rights Facebook page gives a fuller account.)
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Two more tyres slashed courtesy of Grove and Rufford, and one courtesy of the Isle of Wight Hunt.
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Mendip Hunt Sabs report that on 21/12/22 they were escorting the Western and Banwell Harriers with West Somerset Vale Hunt back to their kennels when there was an attack on the sab vehicle. The assailant had swerved in front of them forcing them to stop, grabbed a hefty walking stick and then proceeded to attack the vehicle, open the back door and apparently attack the sabs as well. They have clear video footage of the incident which is being submitted to the police, who incidentally were in attendance very quickly.
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Devon County Hunt Sabs report the Boxing Day Meet of the Eggesford Hunt resulted in two violent events. The Huntsman Jason Marles struck a sab on the head with the handle of his riding crop. A supporter rammed a sab with a quad causing a leg injury.
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Sabs from various groups sabbed the Wynnstay and Cheshire Hounds this week. A terrier quad tried to reverse into an independent monitor and then drove forward deliberately striking a sab on the arm. Police were called and did respond.
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The East Yorkshire Coast Sabs caught on camera a head-butting assault on one of their sabs. They will pass it to the police but are not confident of any action or reaction from them.
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The Warwickshire Hunt, the hunt with the Public Community Notice (CPN) was out on the 28th. Their conduct was clearly modified by the presence of Warwickshire Rural Police and they had to abandon the chase of a fox. The hunt still managed to get themselves filmed causing traffic disruption on the A425, which is very unwise. It would appear that 2 police forces showed a presence as the Northants police also turned up, but their objective seemed to be to have been to put pressure on the sabs, which failed miserably, and might even cause a certain amount of conflict between forces. Let’s hope so. On the 29th the hunt was out again and Will Goffe was asked if he had notified the police specifically of times they were crossing roads (in compliance with the CPN)… because the sabs had (noted it). 

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Mass Sabbing

On 2 Jan, Surrey Hunt sabs were joined by a number of other groups – South Coast, Brighton, Reading, Kingston, some Irish sabs from Connacht & Leinster and Surrey Hunt Monitors – to spoil the Surrey Union’s day. The hunt met next to Hankley Common – MOD land. They packed up by 2pm. Some locals (with children) thanked the sabs for being there and we have it on good authority that the children firmly believe that sabs are heroes (we agree).
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Corruption

Ben Wallace MP, ex Sandhurst, and Minister for Defence has suspended a memorandum of understanding with the League against Cruel Sports (LACS) whereby the MOD would inform LACS of where the hunt would take place so they could monitor the hunt for legal activity. The outcome of that is, of course, to help a hunt, particularly the Royal Artillery Hunt. It also openly indicates that the party of Law and Order thinks that Law and Order should not inhibit the hunt from their illegal activity. The HSA has released a censored email showing the frustration of MOD staff in dealing with the RA Hunt stating that any other organisation behaving the way the hunt behaved, would be banned from MOD land ( notably Salisbury Plain). The email also showed that the hunt were booking to hunt on one part of the Plain, while actually intending to hunt in a different area. The arrangement with LACS was mentioned and hey presto, it was AFTER this that Mr Wallace decided to end it, citing bad behaviour by LACS!

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Investigations, prosecutions and convictions

Thu 22/12/22 West Midlands Hunt Sabs report that Gavin Field, a core member of the Warwickshire Hunt ,accepted a caution under section 4A of the Public Order Act for causing fear, alarm or distress after he was filmed stealing the keys from a sab vehicle and running off with them. He then threw them over the hedge shouting “here’s your f***g keys“.
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The Essex and Suffolk Hunt were caught red-handed digging out a fox. On Boxing Day, while their Master was making the oddest of speeches at their meet, Suffolk Against Foxhunting slipped away and found terrier men  loitering around a badger set, and while they were asking them what they thought they were playing at, a beautiful fox popped out of the hole. Police are investigating.

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Struggling Hunts

East Herts Hunt Sabs report that the Puckeridge Hunt will amalgamate with the Essex with Farmers and Union Hunt next year.

The Cheshire Monitors’ take on the Wynnstay Hunt makes interesting reading. They really do feel the hunt is under pressure in every way… a huntsman having to lie under oath over and over again, locals standing up against the hunt and feeding information back to the monitors, money troubles, and strife within their own camp.
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did you do it??

Check that you’ve signed this petition:
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Thank you for reading. If you spot any inaccuracies, or would like to give feedback, please either leave a comment or email info@actionagainstfoxhunting.org