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Hung Jury: Another Court Victory for Animal Rising’s Grand National Protestors

Four Animal Rising campaigners accused of public nuisance had their trial end with a hung jury last week (21/10/25) at Liverpool Crown Court. The charges were for their actions at the 2023 Grand National, which delayed the race and caused a media frenzy. [1] Today, (28/10/25) a retrial was scheduled for 30/11/26. In September, a group of six Grand National protestors were found not guilty of the same charge. [2]


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  • Last month (24/9/25), a group of six were found not guilty of the same charge by a jury after successfully arguing they had “reasonable excuse” in the eyes of the law due to the suffering and deaths of horses in the race industry. [3] 

  • With one not guilty verdict and one hung jury, pressure is mounting on the CPS to drop the charges for the remaining defendants awaiting trial, as the realistic prospect of a conviction appears low and the courts face long backlogs of violent cases.

  • Approximately 118 people were arrested in total at the 2023 Grand National (15/4/23), leading to intense press coverage and scrutiny of the ethics of racing horses for sport. [4]

  • A key defence of the campaigners was “reasonable excuse”, a provision of public nuisance law. Defendants argued the suffering and deaths of horses within the racing industry constituted a valid reason to attempt to stop the race and draw attention to the plight of horses in UK racing.

  • An additional nine campaigners, including the co-directors of Animal Rising, entered their pleas at Liverpool Crown Court last month (15/09/25), [5] having been accused of conspiracy to commit public nuisance for their actions around the 2023 event. Eight of the accused pleaded not guilty.

  • The British Horseracing Authority has yet to release a statement on the successive court victories for the campaigners, or comment on Animal Rising’s stance that evidence in these trials highlight welfare issues endemic within the sport. A further three trials with 19 campaigners across them are due to begin soon, with the next starting on 3/11//25.


Hundreds of campaigners took part in Animal Rising’s campaign to stop the 2023 Grand National. They did so to protect horses from harm and death, as well as to generate a public discussion on the exploitation of animals in sport and more widely. 


Rose Patterson, spokesperson for Animal Rising commented: 

“Horses continue to be killed on British racetracks, but public opinion on this “sport” is turning. We will continue pushing for change until no animal is exploited for entertainment or profit.”

This is the second jury in as many months that could not agree that disrupting a horse race to try and prevent the horses from coming to harm is a crime. Animal Rising believes the outcomes show growing public awareness of the cruelty behind horse racing, where horses routinely die or are injured for entertainment and profit.


ENDS


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.


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Notes to the Editor:


[1] Daily Mail exposé which revealed Animal Rising’s plans:




 
 
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