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21/01/2009
Animal Rights Campaigners Jailed
Seven animal rights campaigners who blackmailed companies linked to animal testing group Huntington Life Sciences (HLS) have been jailed.
The leaders of the blackmail conspiracy, Gregg Avery, 41, Natasha Avery, 39, and Heather Nicholson, 41, were founder members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) - a front organisation which organised strategy and attacks on the firms associated with HLS, and their staff.
They were assisted by computer expert Gavin Medd-Hall, 45, who researched the victims and three "foot soldiers", Gerrah Selby, 20, Daniel Wadham, 21, and Daniel Amos, 22
Sentencing the activists at Winchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Butterfield called the campaign "urban terrorism" and a "relentless, sustained and merciless persecution" of their victims. They were sentenced from between four and 11 years.
He added: "You are not going to prison for your beliefs, you are not going to prison for expressing your beliefs, you are going to prison because each of you has committed a very serious criminal offence.
"Hundreds, probably thousands of ordinary, decent, men, women and children have had their lives made a living hell by your activities."
The court heard the group targeted hundreds of businesses with links to HLS - from small haulage firms to international pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline - during their aim to stop the testing laboratory being able to operate.
They carried out bomb hoaxes, smear campaigns and made threatening phone calls to firms telling them to cut links with HLS.
The jury heard the group from SHAC also falsely claimed company managers were paedophiles.
Words like 'puppy killer" and 'scum' were painted on homes and cars of workers, cars were paint stripped, and used sanitary towels were posted to the victims with a note saying the sender had Aids.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Robbins, who led the £4 million investigation into SHAC, said: "While rarely causing physical harm, these offenders thrived on the fear they created through threats and intimidation.
"I hope today's sentences send a strong message that, in a democratic society, campaigning needs to remain lawful, and that those who cross the line into extremist activity will be brought to justice."
(JM/BMcC)
The leaders of the blackmail conspiracy, Gregg Avery, 41, Natasha Avery, 39, and Heather Nicholson, 41, were founder members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) - a front organisation which organised strategy and attacks on the firms associated with HLS, and their staff.
They were assisted by computer expert Gavin Medd-Hall, 45, who researched the victims and three "foot soldiers", Gerrah Selby, 20, Daniel Wadham, 21, and Daniel Amos, 22
Sentencing the activists at Winchester Crown Court, Mr Justice Butterfield called the campaign "urban terrorism" and a "relentless, sustained and merciless persecution" of their victims. They were sentenced from between four and 11 years.
He added: "You are not going to prison for your beliefs, you are not going to prison for expressing your beliefs, you are going to prison because each of you has committed a very serious criminal offence.
"Hundreds, probably thousands of ordinary, decent, men, women and children have had their lives made a living hell by your activities."
The court heard the group targeted hundreds of businesses with links to HLS - from small haulage firms to international pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline - during their aim to stop the testing laboratory being able to operate.
They carried out bomb hoaxes, smear campaigns and made threatening phone calls to firms telling them to cut links with HLS.
The jury heard the group from SHAC also falsely claimed company managers were paedophiles.
Words like 'puppy killer" and 'scum' were painted on homes and cars of workers, cars were paint stripped, and used sanitary towels were posted to the victims with a note saying the sender had Aids.
After the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Andy Robbins, who led the £4 million investigation into SHAC, said: "While rarely causing physical harm, these offenders thrived on the fear they created through threats and intimidation.
"I hope today's sentences send a strong message that, in a democratic society, campaigning needs to remain lawful, and that those who cross the line into extremist activity will be brought to justice."
(JM/BMcC)
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