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Horse Racing Protestors Acquitted After Repeated Jury Refusals to Convict

The Crown Prosecution Service has dropped charges against four Animal Rising campaigners who ran onto the tracks at Doncaster Racecourse in 2023, after a series of jury refusals to convict defendants for protesting horse racing.


Campaigners argue that the repeated failure to secure convictions, combined with growing public antipathy towards the controversial sport, signals a turning point for the future of horse racing in the UK.


The four had been due to stand trial for public nuisance after attempting to stop the race. 


Key information:

  • Last week (16/04/26), four Animal Rising defendants linked to the 2023 Doncaster Racecourse action were cleared of wrongdoing at Sheffield Crown Court after the prosecution chose not to provide evidence. [1]

  • Following repeated acquittals in related cases, the CPS has now concluded there is no realistic prospect of securing a conviction. [2]

  • Campaigners argue this demonstrates an overwhelming public reluctance to convict protesters acting to protect horses.

  • Ten horses have died so far this month on British racecourses, including two high-profile deaths at the Grand National. [3]

  • A further eight Animal Rising defendants are due to face trial starting on 2 November 2026 at Liverpool Crown Court, accused of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance at the 2023 Grand National.


The development comes as a new report, “National Disgrace”, was released ahead of the 2026 Grand National Festival. [4] Authored by individuals acquitted for their roles in the 2023 Aintree protests alongside horse racing expert Dene Stansall, the report argues that horse racing has reached a “tipping point” in public support.

Animal Rising argues that, presented with evidence of routine deaths and injuries in horse racing, jurors are increasingly unwilling to convict those attempting to intervene.


Claudia Penna Rojas, spokesperson for Animal Rising, said:

“Animal lovers across the UK are saying it’s time for this barbaric spectacle to be brought to an end. After multiple protests at racecourses, juries have made it clear they don't want to see ordinary, caring people punished for trying to stop animals being harmed.
“The simple truth is that when people see the reality of horse racing - the injuries, the deaths, the suffering - they understand why we took action.
“Horses are still dying every week on British racecourses. The recent horrific deaths at the Grand National are just the most visible part of a much bigger problem. Horses deserve better than this.
“It’s time to bring horse racing to a standstill for good.”

A central argument in many of these trials has been “reasonable excuse”, a legal defence under public nuisance law. Defendants have argued that the ongoing harm and deaths within the racing industry justify attempts to disrupt races and draw attention to the issue.


ENDS


About Animal Rising

The group has used a variety of civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action tactics, notably blockading McDonald's distribution centres in May 2021, blockading dairy industry sites in September 2022, rescuing 23 beagle puppies from the animal testing industry in 2022, delaying the Grand National race in 2023, rescuing lambs belonging to King Charles III in May 2023, and carrying out the UK’s largest undercover farm investigation in 2024.


Word count: 448


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Notes to the Editor:

[3] Horse deaths, April 2026: https://www.horsedeathwatch.com/

The report was authored by Ed Allnutt, Ruby Sleigh, and Horse Racing Expert and longstanding campaigner for horses' rights Dene Stansall. Allnutt and Sleigh were among the 118 arrested at Aintree in 2023; acquittals in 2025 followed by the remaining public nuisance charges being dropped set a significant legal precedent for "reasonable excuse" in protest law.


 
 
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