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Littlehampton animal rights activist jailed for six years for campaign of intimidation

MUMSY: Sarah Whitehead MUMSY: Sarah Whitehead

A Littlehampton animal rights activist known as ‘Mumsy’ has been jailed for six years for a shocking campaign of intimidation against an animal testing lab.

Sarah Whitehead, 53, of Thorncroft Road, led an attempt to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences by intimidating companies linked to it.

Winchester Crown Court head today how she and five others waged a wide-ranging international conspiracy of intimidation against a host of supply companies to force the closure of Cambridge-based HLS.

They used a group, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac) as a front for their illegal activities.

Action carried out included realistic hoax bombs posted to the homes of staff and offices, criminal damage, threats of violence and abusive telephone calls.

Some company directors had leaflets distributed near their home falsely telling neighbours they were convicted paedophiles and others had used tampons sent through the post saying the blood was HIV positive.

Others had words like puppy killer, murderer and scum daubed on their houses, cars or on the roads nearby.

The abuse would only stop when the company issued a capitulation statement on the Shac website and cut links with the lab.

The total cost of damage and increased security costs was £12.6 million, to around 40 companies targeted, the court heard.

Jailing Whitehead, who was called "Mumsy" by the others, for six years, Judge Keith Cutler said she led the younger members on and corrupted them.

He said she had carried out up to five direct attacks a night on one occasion and she was "a long-term campaigner and trusted insider" within the conspiracy who had not shown remorse and would be likely to offend again.

Nicole Vosper, 22, Thomas Harris, 27, Jason Mullan, 32, and Nicola Tapping, 29, were also jailed at a hearing today.

The youngest member of the conspiracy Alfie Fitzpatrick, 21, received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to complete 100 hours of community work.

The six were part of a larger conspiracy involving the founder members of Shac, Gregg and Natasha Avery and Heather Nicholson, who used the organisation as a front to intimidate companies under badges like the Animal Liberation Front or the Animal Rights Militia.

Whitehead, Vosper, of Bay View Terrace, Newquay, Cornwall, and Harris, of Somerville Road, Ringwood, Hampshire, admitted conspiracy to blackmail companies and suppliers linked to the Cambridge-based company between 2001 and 2008.

Mullan, of Holloway Road, London, Tapping, of Somerville Road, Ringwood and Fitzpatrick, of Knowle Road, Solihull, West Midlands, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to harm Huntingdon Life Sciences from 2005 to 2008 under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 by interfering with companies supplying them.

The maximum jail term for conspiracy to blackmail is 14 years and for conspiracy under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 it is five years.

Other members of Shac, including the founder members Gregg Avery, Natasha Avery and Nicholson, were jailed in January 2009 at Winchester Crown Court for blackmailing companies linked to HLS.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Winchester, Judge Keith Cutler, said the well-planned and relentless campaign had been "synonymous with intimidation, violence and terror".

"The action was taken in order to distress and terrify, and in that you were successful," he told them.

He said that the lawful activities of Shac were a "thin veneer" and it was a vehicle for intimidation even though he accepted the six had a passionate opposition to animal research laboratories and had "fiercely held beliefs".

He then quoted Mr Justice Butterfield, who jailed other members of the conspiracy, when he said: "I expect you will be seen by some as martyrs for a noble cause but that would be wholly misplaced.

"You are not going to prison for expressing your beliefs, you are going to prison because you have committed a serious criminal offence."

Vosper was also described as a trusted insider by the judge and jailed for three and a half years. She took part in direct action against targets, but was described as having intelligence and ability.

Mullan's role was described as not insignificant and he had been part of Shac since 2002. The judge said he viewed with horror Mullan's behaviour while on a demonstration in Paris in April 2007 and jailed him for three years.

Harris was described a taking over the running of Shac after others were arrested in 2007 and he was fully aware of what others were doing. He was jailed for four years.

Tapping, the judge said, was not on the front line and did not carry out direct action, but she knew what was going on. She received a 15-month jail term.

Fitzpatrick was only 17 when he was part of the conspiracy. He was educated at the international school in Geneva and is from a wealthy family. The judge said he was the least involved and received the suspended sentence.

Whitehead also received a 10-year Anti-Social Behaviour Order banning her from taking part in animal rights activities with the others receiving five-year ASBOs on the same terms.

Police said that since the arrests in 2007, animals rights extremism had been dramatically reduced.

The cost of the operation was put at £4 million.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Robbins from Kent Police, who led the operation, said: "The sentences passed today are a fitting reflection of the systematic and relentless intimidation of individuals and their employers, carried out by a small group of criminals.

"Such tactics have no place in a democratic society and in no way reflect the peaceful protests carried out by the vast majority of legitimate animal welfare campaigners."

Comments(26)

dunderheads says...
1:28pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Kent Police Force! Congratulations on Solving this one for our Police. we need all the help we can get.

cheezburger says...
1:51pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.

EroThraX says...
2:14pm Mon 25 Oct 10

cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
I take it you would be fine with people going untreated for psychosis and dying extra early from heart disease etc. if we never tested our drugs on animals in preclinical trials.

Unfortunately it is still a necessary evil to study how drugs react in a living organism before being tested on Humans.

Number Six says...
3:15pm Mon 25 Oct 10

cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
And neither does this violent fascist thuggery

As a former victim of animal rights terrorism, believe me the tears of joy are running down my face.

SW stop-such

cheezburger says...
3:50pm Mon 25 Oct 10

EroThraX wrote:
cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
I take it you would be fine with people going untreated for psychosis and dying extra early from heart disease etc. if we never tested our drugs on animals in preclinical trials.

Unfortunately it is still a necessary evil to study how drugs react in a living organism before being tested on Humans.
Testing on animals isn't necessary for this. There are a wealth of other methods, better methods.

cheezburger says...
3:52pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Number Six wrote:
cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
And neither does this violent fascist thuggery

As a former victim of animal rights terrorism, believe me the tears of joy are running down my face.

SW stop-such
Unlike rabbits who are held down while chemicals are poured into their eyes since they have no tear ducts and cant cry.

Acheron says...
4:49pm Mon 25 Oct 10

cheezburger wrote:
EroThraX wrote:
cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
I take it you would be fine with people going untreated for psychosis and dying extra early from heart disease etc. if we never tested our drugs on animals in preclinical trials.

Unfortunately it is still a necessary evil to study how drugs react in a living organism before being tested on Humans.
Testing on animals isn't necessary for this. There are a wealth of other methods, better methods.
At the moment animal testing is necessary due to the law of the land. There may well be other methods, but until the law is changed companies are doing what is required of them. Should people who earn a legal living be subject to the sort of abuse that they suffered from?

cheezburger says...
5:21pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Acheron wrote:
cheezburger wrote:
EroThraX wrote:
cheezburger wrote:
Animal testing has no place in a civilised society.
I take it you would be fine with people going untreated for psychosis and dying extra early from heart disease etc. if we never tested our drugs on animals in preclinical trials.

Unfortunately it is still a necessary evil to study how drugs react in a living organism before being tested on Humans.
Testing on animals isn't necessary for this. There are a wealth of other methods, better methods.
At the moment animal testing is necessary due to the law of the land. There may well be other methods, but until the law is changed companies are doing what is required of them. Should people who earn a legal living be subject to the sort of abuse that they suffered from?
Should the animals?

TheInsider says...
5:29pm Mon 25 Oct 10

How about testing on murderers and child se* offenders or do I sound like a Nazi.
The results would be more accurate than if tested on animals.
We could now test on those jailed in this case and no animals would have to be hurt and they would have made the ultimate sacrifice.

sdthetruth says...
5:53pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Switching testing from animals to the animal rights protesters would be the right way to go. These vile creatures would be no loss to society. Their intimidation and threats have been tolerated for too long. Hopefully this sad excuse of a so called woman will think about her actions while sitting locked up in her cell.

dcsussex says...
6:15pm Mon 25 Oct 10

I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights.
Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called.
An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.

cheezburger says...
6:20pm Mon 25 Oct 10

So is that for all animal rights protestors? Nice to see you hold human life in as low regard as you do for animals. And i've got news for you, people who dony like animal abuse form a very large part of society. Still, i must remember the mob mentality of morons like yourself, the hang em high brigade.

JHunty says...
8:25pm Mon 25 Oct 10

dcsussex wrote:
I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results.
The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults

cheezburger says...
9:32pm Mon 25 Oct 10

JHunty wrote:
dcsussex wrote:
I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results.
The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults
If everyone thought like you we would still have no votes for women and black people denied a seat on the bus.

sussexladybabe says...
9:35pm Mon 25 Oct 10

JHunty wrote:
dcsussex wrote:
I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results.
The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults
I echo these comments because the intimidation tactics they use are the same that any fascist group will use to push their minority views on others. In fact these groups were silently condoned by the last Labour government.

The fact is that they are cowards really who, at the first sign of an aggressive opponent, would run a mile since most are militant left wing trash who wouldn't know a knuckle duster from a feather duster!

nocando says...
10:40pm Mon 25 Oct 10

Yep, lock em up, why should any law abiding citizen be prevented from earning a living by this sort of low life idealogue? Too many soap dodgers with visions far beyond their station these days, about time they got slapped back into place. Who the hell gave them the right to tell everybody else what's acceptable and what's not?
Sick of the endless preaching from these types and their sinister tactics. They'd be the first ones crying to the old bill if people turned up in hoods after dark on their doorsteps with some vigorous advice on minding their own **** business.

dcsussex says...
10:43pm Mon 25 Oct 10

JHunty wrote:
dcsussex wrote: I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results. The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults
dont ever think human pain is the same an animals pain.
humans can express directly their pain and anger through a voice which other humans understand, animals cant.

your so called 'democracy' is not working my friend, animals are still being tortured and maimed on a daily basis.
Go conform and bury your head in a bucket of sand, sound like thats what you do best jhunty!

for the record - i think smash-edo are a dissfunctional group with nothing better to do...
oh, which of your categories does that put me in now????????? lol @ u...

TheInsider says...
11:24pm Mon 25 Oct 10

I am beginning to think we should use Wayne and Colleen Rooney as dummies for drug testing as they truly are representative of rotten Britain.

Hard times says...
2:13am Tue 26 Oct 10

Good on her.

Burgess901 says...
12:00pm Tue 26 Oct 10

Unbelievable that people are dumb enough to support this woman and her illogical cause.
Using words such as murder to describe the dispatching of an animal is not only an incorrect use of language, it is used to provoke misplaced sympathy.

Murder.n: Unlawful killing of another being.
Torture.v: Cause (someone) severe pain or mental anguish.

These are the dictionary definitions of these words so commonly used to describe acts undertaken on animals by protesters. Other animals do not have the mental capacity to comprehend such acts, it is only the humanisation of other species that results in emotions and experiences understood by ourselves being wrongfully attached to animals.

Any person or persons that express' their views with violence and/or intimidation evidently does not have a strong enough argument for their cause.

Number Six says...
1:20pm Tue 26 Oct 10

dcsussex wrote:
JHunty wrote:
dcsussex wrote: I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results. The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults
dont ever think human pain is the same an animals pain. humans can express directly their pain and anger through a voice which other humans understand, animals cant. your so called 'democracy' is not working my friend, animals are still being tortured and maimed on a daily basis. Go conform and bury your head in a bucket of sand, sound like thats what you do best jhunty! for the record - i think smash-edo are a dissfunctional group with nothing better to do... oh, which of your categories does that put me in now????????? lol @ u...
"your so called 'democracy' is not working my friend",

It's working just fine. The fact that it's not letting you get your own doesn't mean it isn't working.

The trouble is that you have already decided you cannot be wrong and therefore, from that exalted position, you are entitiled to force your views on everyone else, whether they agree with you or not. After all, you know what's best, don't you? Anyone who takes a contrary view to you is an idiot or the systems flawed. The thought that you might be in a minority doesn't occur, does it?

BTW. I'm curious to know how you managed to compare human pain with animal pain

sussexbornandbred says...
1:28pm Tue 26 Oct 10

it sends the right message out to those nasty thugs who post up peoples details on the net in an attempt to stop them carrying out a lawful occupation..... nice one judge whitehead.....

MantaRay1 says...
3:11pm Tue 26 Oct 10

Testing on animals is a dreadful practice and should be stopped immediately...as should the disgusting acts carried out by this awful woman. Activists like this are dangerous people dressing up their people hating cravings.

Baldseagull says...
3:11pm Tue 26 Oct 10

dcsussex wrote:
JHunty wrote:
dcsussex wrote: I think all that this group has done is neccessary and acceptable, and i find it repulsive that this woman is jailed for fighting for animal rights. Yes the actions were extreme, but it took extremeness to make the companies end trading with HLS. Nothing else worked so this lady/the group were forced into implementing their 'terrorism' as its so called. An animals life has no monetary value, has no limits to what is done for its rights, so good on this group for trying to give these animals a voice. I congratulate their actions and hope many many people take future action against animal testing in the UK.
So bascially you are condoning a terroristic style campaign that denies animals, ie humans their rights. What you and the Smash Edo lot have in common is that you literaly think you are above the law, youre not. A small group of people simply do not have the right to impose their minority and extemist views on the majority through harrassment violence and intimidation. We have a mechanism for dealing with issues like animal testing and the arms industry, its called democracy, you should try it some time, you might be suprised at the results. The tactics used by this group are exactly the tactics that Smash Edo started out using when their campaign began, its a matter of record, Bert so dont bother with the personal insults
dont ever think human pain is the same an animals pain.
humans can express directly their pain and anger through a voice which other humans understand, animals cant.

your so called 'democracy' is not working my friend, animals are still being tortured and maimed on a daily basis.
Go conform and bury your head in a bucket of sand, sound like thats what you do best jhunty!

for the record - i think smash-edo are a dissfunctional group with nothing better to do...
oh, which of your categories does that put me in now????????? lol @ u...
I believe that a senior member of PETA, a supposed vegan, justifies her own use of insulin, a product extracted from the pancreas of pigs, as necessary to help her carry on the fight for animal rights, including the right not to be killed for creation of human medicines!
All animals do what they can to survive, at the expense of another animals life if necessary.

You are right, Humans and other animals are not the same. Most animals have no concern for the welfare of other animals, they take what they need for themselves and kill without any compunction or concern for the pain suffered by the victim.

This is the reason that acting with consideration to minimising suffering is called "humane" behaviour.

Democracy will never satisfy the minority view.
Democracy does its best to satisfy the majority, to get change you need to convince the majority of the validity of your view.
Terrorism is employed by those who cannot convince others by reasonable argument or by those who have no opportunity to get their argument heard and considered.
I respect those that campaign for better animal welfare and can sympathise with those that protest, but terrorism is never justified in a country which has democracy.

It seems that Democracy IS working, as far as this subject is concerned, just not working for you and your minority concerns.

nocando says...
8:25pm Wed 27 Oct 10

I notice a distinct lack of animal rights types stepping up to volunteer their own services for medicinal testing in order to save these creatures. Maybe they feel that a return to victorian standards of treatment is the best way forward instead. Doubtless they'll all be clogging up the nhs in years to come, all their sanctimonious preaching conveniently forgotten once its their own health at stake. Hypocrites.

Ian E Brewers says...
11:22am Thu 28 Oct 10

Should have got 16 yrs

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