Three supporters of Animal Rising had £45,000 worth of fines overturned yesterday (2/8/24), following an appeal at Northampton Crown Court.
They were previously found guilty of aggravated trespass at Northampton Magistrates Court on 12/4/24 [1] following a protest at Towcester Racecourse during the Greyhound Derby Finals on 1/7/23 [2].
The defendant's original sentences of 6-9 week prison sentences, suspended for 12 months, and 100 hours of community service remain. However, the £15,000 compensation orders they were each given have been overturned on appeal.
The action was taken as part of Animal Rising’s 2023 summer of actions to shine a spotlight on our broken relationship with animals and nature. They claim greyhound racing is a perfect example of this broken relationship, where “man’s best friend” is put in harm’s way in the name of entertainment and money-making.
Yesterday, three supporters of Animal Rising have had £15,000 in compensation each overturned by Judge Harbage at Northampton Crown Court. The group were found guilty of aggravated trespass at Northampton Magistrates court on 12/4/24 and given heavy compensation orders to cover the policing costs and costs incurred by Towcester Racecourse.
Ed Allnutt, 33, one of those who had their compensation overturned, said:
"We walked out of court in April with our heads held high, knowing we did the right thing by shining a spotlight on this cruel and outdated so-called ‘sport.’ The majority of people know dog racing is wrong, and would never expose their family dog to this extreme level of risk and harm.”
“We are glad that the judge today agreed that the previous sentencing was excessive and overturned our £15,000 compensation orders. They agreed that the compensation could only be for harms arising from any protest itself, and that the previous judge had no power to charge us with the broader costs of policing the protest and venue security. What we saw was a chilling attempt to quash protest and dissent via people’s finances.
“It hurts to think about the number of dogs that will have been injured and killed since we protested over a year ago. I look forward to when animal racing will be consigned to the dustbin of history alongside such unacceptable ‘sports’ as bear baiting and dog fighting."
One further defendant from the original trial is still awaiting the result of their appeal.
The number of greyhounds dying at racetracks rose last year, prompting renewed calls for the sport to be banned. 109 dogs died at the racetracks and 427 died or were put down away from racetracks, according to figures from the sport’s regulator, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) [3].
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
ENDS
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