I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE WEEKEND
FROM THE VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS
Friday, October 29, 2010
This is my life "So how is yours?????
ADOPT
DONT SHOP WHILE SHELTER DOGS DIE
Sad Life please dont support the puppy mill trade
Guilford Shelter Gets Dozens Of Animals Seized In Rockingham County
Guilford County, NC -- The Guilford County Animal Shelter was already at capacity before taking in nearly 50 animals that were seized from a home in Rockingham County.
Wednesday, shelter staff picked up 34 dogs, five chinchillas, five guinea pigs, and two ferrets that were removed from the property as part of an animal cruelty investigation.
"We were hoping that they only needed us to take about 15 to 20. We ended up having to take 34 in order to help these animals find the help that they needed," Executive Director Marsha Williams said about the dogs.
"Hopefully we won't have any more coming in any time soon in this large number."
The shelter already had more than 1,000 animals before the new additions. Williams said while they can't turn down any animals from Guilford County, if another county asked them for help any time soon, they'd likely have to say no. That could mean having to put down animals that are already there, she said.
"We're doing what we have to do. We're not putting any animals down that are already here, so we're not having to euthanize in order to take these animals. If that was the case then we would not have taken them," said Williams. "They need someone and we couldn't say no. We thought about it, but it was something we knew we had to do."
Williams said all of the dogs from Rockingham County should eventually be up for adoption, but that could take a couple of weeks.
The best way to help out is by adopting and fostering animals from the shelter, and donating food.
Kim Alboum, North Carolina State Director for the Humane Society of the United States, said the rest of the seized animals are going to SPCA's in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, and some might go to a rescue group in Wake Forest.
A total of 93 dogs were taken from the home on Monday, according to Rockingham County Sheriff's spokesman Dean Venable. He said 19 were immediately euthanized because of their health condition. Other seized animals included six goats, one horse and six dead dogs.
37-year-old Thomas Adkins and 19-year-old Amber Adkins, who live at home from where the animals were taken, face 25 counts of misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals.
Thomas spoke with WFMY News 2 on Monday. He said he and his wife are volunteers for a rescue organization in New York and take in unwanted dogs that are transported up to the rescue farm.
"There are a couple dead animals there, but that's just the way it is," said Adkins. "We're giving them hope, we're giving them a chance, we're rehabilitating them, spending time with them, we're feeding them, taking care of them."
Adkins said some of the seized animals were personal pets and he wants them back.
He said, "I don't want people to look at the situation and look at us as the bad guy. We're trying to make a difference and we're trying to help. We have done nothing wrong."
Adkins said some of the seized animals were personal pets and he wants them back.
He said, "I don't want people to look at the situation and look at us as the bad guy. We're trying to make a difference and we're trying to help. We have done nothing wrong."
for more info go here
Woman caught tossing cat into trash bin pleads guilty to animal cruelty
LONDON - A British woman caught on tape stroking a cat, picking it up by the scruff of its neck and casually throwing it into its owners' trash bin pleaded guilty to a single charge of animal cruelty Tuesday.
Footage of Mary Bale's bizarre attack on four-year-old Lola outraged animal lovers across the world when it was posted online this summer. The video, shot by a security camera installed by Lola's owners following a spate of thefts in their area, has been seen more than 1.2 million times on YouTube.
Even though Lola was eventually recovered unharmed after its owners heard its muffled cries from inside the bin angry Internet users pledged retribution and police had to post guards outside her home.
Bale, a 45-year-old bank worker, has described the incident as a "split second of misjudgment that has got completely out of control" but offered no explanation for why she did it. She pleaded guilty to one count of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal at Coventry Magistrates' Court, in central England.
The court fined her 250 pounds (about $400) and ordered her to pay more than 1,100 pounds ($1,800) in costs.
District judge Caroline Goulborn told Bale that she was taking into account the media interest surrounding the case, which "has resulted in you being vilified in some quarters" as well as the condition of Bale's elderly father, who was gravely ill at the time.
"I accept that you were in a stressful situation at the time, but that's no excuse for what you did," Goulborn said.
Bale, who appeared close to tears during the hearing, was also banned from keeping or owning animals for the next five years.
Mary Bale, 45 arriving at court, in Coventry, England, Tuesday Oct. 19, 2010. A British woman caught on tape stroking a cat, picking it up by the scruff of its neck and casually throwing into a trash bin has pleaded guilty to a charge of animal cruelty. Footage of Mary Bale's bizarre attack on 4-year-old Lola outraged animal lovers across the world when it was posted online this summer. The cat was recovered unharmed soon after, but some Internet users threatened to take revenge and police had to post guards outside her house. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira, PA) ** UNITED KINGDOM OUT NO SALES NO ARCHIVE **
Rescues gone bad so who can the animals trust???
Pictures don't lie. Take the time to view each picture from Tom and Amber Adkins property of Reidsville NC and you decide which side of rescue you are on. These poor dogs were pulled from the Goldsboro Shelter in NC, transported to Reidsville NC and placed on the Adkins Farm where they made make shift dog kennels and placed more than 15 dogs in one small space. Many dogs ran free and due to lack of food they formed a pack and took down and horse and a goat to feed of off. Other dogs resorted to eating the smaller dead dogs that were in their own pen. As for access to clean water do you see any in these pictures? Also view how these animals were transported, do you feel that the Adkins Racing Trailer is humane to transport dogs across the street let alone all the way up to Pancake Hollow Farm's in New York? Image how hot it was inside this trailer with no air circulation, no wonder why so many die in transport.
So with this do you know who is pulling your shelter friend, what Vet is being used, if any medical treatment is being given to them, are they getting their health certifications to travel to another state, are they stopping every 4 hrs to allow the dog to walk, use the bathroom and have food or water breaks, where are they being housed and held before their packed up and shipped out on transport to you and how many are being stuffed on that transport.
Are you really saving a life here or causing them to die a more inhumane death? Please note the dead pups on the ground that this rescuer never cared to remove from the others dogs to see or catch dieses from.
NEWS STORYDog Then Go To CourtPosted on October 14, 2010 by bats91360
REIDSVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) – Rockingham County Sheriffs added 19 more charges to a couple accused of animal abuse.
Tommy and Amber Adkins were each charged an additional 19 counts of Cruelty to Animals Tuesday. Both met the $5,000 bond on the new charges Tuesday evening and were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.
The couple had already been charged with six counts of Cruelty to Animals when sheriff’s deputies found six dead dogs at their home. The couple is scheduled to return to court Nov. 11.
Beside the six dead dogs, 112 living animals were found at the Adkins’ residence, including 93 dogs, two ferrets, five chinchillas, five guinea pigs, six goats and one horse.
Deputies also witnessed several dogs attacking a horse and goat and other dogs feeding off the carcasses of the six dead dogs laying about the property.
Tommy Adkins did not deny that there were dead dogs on his property. He said that he is new to rescuing animals and that is a volunteer for Pancake Hollow Farm and Rescue Inc., in Highland, N.Y.
Pancake Hollow officials told FOX8 Tuesday they would be picking up the remaining animals, and future volunteers will be screened more closely.
A judge released the animals to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.
Some of the remaining dogs will be shuttled to Guilford County Animal Shelter on Wednesday, while others will be put up for adoption at other area shelters. Some of those shelters include: Virginia Beach SPCA Norfolk SPCA, and tSaving Grace inWake Forest.
“Some of them look really bad and we don’t know if they’re going to make it but we’re going to do everything we can,” said Marsha Williams, director of the Guilford County Animal Shelter. “We’re going to get them on some (intravenous) and medicines that they need.”
The dogs at the Guilford County Shelter will remain quarantined for 14 days before being adopted NEWS STORYDog Then Go To CourtPosted on October 14, 2010 by bats91360 REIDSVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) – Rockingham County Sheriffs added 19 more charges to a couple accused of animal abuse.Tommy and Amber Adkins were each charged an additional 19 counts of Cruelty to Animals Tuesday. Both met the $5,000 bond on the new charges Tuesday evening and were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday.The couple had already been charged with six counts of Cruelty to Animals when sheriff’s deputies found six dead dogs at their home. The couple is scheduled to return to court Nov. 11.Beside the six dead dogs, 112 living animals were found at the Adkins’ residence, including 93 dogs, two ferrets, five chinchillas, five guinea pigs, six goats and one horse.Deputies also witnessed several dogs attacking a horse and goat and other dogs feeding off the carcasses of the six dead dogs laying about the property.Tommy Adkins did not deny that there were dead dogs on his property. He said that he is new to rescuing animals and that is a volunteer for Pancake Hollow Farm and Rescue Inc., in Highland, N.Y.Pancake Hollow officials told FOX8 Tuesday they would be picking up the remaining animals, and future volunteers will be screened more closely.A judge released the animals to the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday.Some of the remaining dogs will be shuttled to Guilford County Animal Shelter on Wednesday, while others will be put up for adoption at other area shelters. Some of those shelters include: Virginia Beach SPCA Norfolk SPCA, and tSaving Grace inWake Forest.“Some of them look really bad and we don’t know if they’re going to make it but we’re going to do everything we can,” said Marsha Williams, director of the Guilford County Animal Shelter. “We’re going to get them on some (intravenous) and medicines that they need.”The dogs at the Guilford County Shelter will remain quarantined for 14 days before being adopted
can you even tell I was a puppy? what breed?
Great oven to transport them in.
poor guys
yes, we are dead. thanks for the rescue efforts !
dead, just dead!
leaving their bodies on in the hot sun for the other dogs to see.
dead dogs not even moved away from the others
look how many in such a small area
nice transport right
37-year-old Thomas Adkins and 19-year-old Amber Adkins, who live at home from where the animals were taken, face 25 counts of misdemeanor Cruelty to Animals.
County suspends volunteer services at animal shelter
The Rome News-Tribune has been talking to county officials and volunteers about the animal shelter's operation for the past couple of days in the wake of a flurry of e-mails and complaints to county officials that resulted in the suspension of volunteer services at the shelter this week.
Floyd County released the following statement Tuesday:
Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Floyd County Animal Control volunteer program has been suspended effective immediately. Animal Control will continue to facilitate the rescue of unwanted animals through the 52 pre-approved rescue groups currently registered at Animal Control as well as accept new rescue organizations who qualify.
For the past ten months, Floyd County has attempted to minimize the euthanizations of unwanted animals by working with volunteers at the Animal Shelter to facilitate more rescues. Volunteer tasks included posting pictures of animals on the PetFinder website, fielding inquiries, and arranging rescues for these animals. Floyd County has standard operating procedures and protocols for all involved to follow, both to ensure the safety of the animals, as well as to limit any legal or regulatory exposure of Floyd County.
“Because of the sheer volume of animals, the number of rescue organizations involved, and limited staff, a certain degree of trust is invested in the volunteers to follow these procedures,” said Blaine Williams, Assistant County Manager. “While many of the volunteers have performed a tireless job and are very well-intentioned, these procedures haven’t been carefully followed, despite repeated reminders from staff. Among others, reference-checking has been delegated to others outside of Floyd County, animal tags have been falsified, and licenses apparently used improperly in the rescue of animals. The failure to follow these procedures has ultimately resulted in animals from the Animal Shelter being transported to uncertified rescues and persons who are not legally compliant in their home cities/counties, as well as creating the potential of regulatory issues with the Georgia Department of Agriculture (DOA), the agency that inspects and gives Animal Control its license to operate.”
In addition, despite staff efforts to work closely with the volunteers and the locally unprecedented number of rescues accomplished through this partnership, the amount of negative rumors, e-mail, internet videos, press releases, phone calls and slanderous comments against the Animal Control operation and individual staff has dramatically increased.
“Primarily all of the complaints have been placed by persons who live out of the area/state and have never been to the Floyd County Animal Control Shelter,” said Williams. “The accusations cited in these complaints have come from unknown sources who have deliberately misrepresented the state of the Shelter, with the result of severely hampering the ability of Animal Control staff to continue with the day-to-day operations.”
“We are confident in the abilities of the staff to continue organizing rescues and they will now begin posting pictures, etc of animals up for adoption on these sites in efforts to keep the adoption/rescue numbers up,” said Williams.
Floyd County released the following statement Tuesday:
Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Floyd County Animal Control volunteer program has been suspended effective immediately. Animal Control will continue to facilitate the rescue of unwanted animals through the 52 pre-approved rescue groups currently registered at Animal Control as well as accept new rescue organizations who qualify.
For the past ten months, Floyd County has attempted to minimize the euthanizations of unwanted animals by working with volunteers at the Animal Shelter to facilitate more rescues. Volunteer tasks included posting pictures of animals on the PetFinder website, fielding inquiries, and arranging rescues for these animals. Floyd County has standard operating procedures and protocols for all involved to follow, both to ensure the safety of the animals, as well as to limit any legal or regulatory exposure of Floyd County.
“Because of the sheer volume of animals, the number of rescue organizations involved, and limited staff, a certain degree of trust is invested in the volunteers to follow these procedures,” said Blaine Williams, Assistant County Manager. “While many of the volunteers have performed a tireless job and are very well-intentioned, these procedures haven’t been carefully followed, despite repeated reminders from staff. Among others, reference-checking has been delegated to others outside of Floyd County, animal tags have been falsified, and licenses apparently used improperly in the rescue of animals. The failure to follow these procedures has ultimately resulted in animals from the Animal Shelter being transported to uncertified rescues and persons who are not legally compliant in their home cities/counties, as well as creating the potential of regulatory issues with the Georgia Department of Agriculture (DOA), the agency that inspects and gives Animal Control its license to operate.”
In addition, despite staff efforts to work closely with the volunteers and the locally unprecedented number of rescues accomplished through this partnership, the amount of negative rumors, e-mail, internet videos, press releases, phone calls and slanderous comments against the Animal Control operation and individual staff has dramatically increased.
“Primarily all of the complaints have been placed by persons who live out of the area/state and have never been to the Floyd County Animal Control Shelter,” said Williams. “The accusations cited in these complaints have come from unknown sources who have deliberately misrepresented the state of the Shelter, with the result of severely hampering the ability of Animal Control staff to continue with the day-to-day operations.”
“We are confident in the abilities of the staff to continue organizing rescues and they will now begin posting pictures, etc of animals up for adoption on these sites in efforts to keep the adoption/rescue numbers up,” said Williams.
Floyd County Animal Control to suspend volunteer animal rescue operations
County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to fund extra hours for a part-time employee to take over the Internet-based Petfinder adoption program from the volunteers.
The shelter also will continue to work with 52 certified rescue groups and accept new rescue organizations that qualify.
“The volunteers have done a tireless job, fielding calls from all over the world to find homes for these animals,” Assistant County Manager Blaine Williams said. “They’ve reversed our euthanasia numbers from 25 percent adopted to 75 percent adopted. But with all those people in the mix, there has been a loss of control over our standard operating procedures.”
The Rome News-Tribune has been talking to county officials and volunteers about the shelter’s operations for several days, in the wake of a flurry of e-mails and complaints about the shelter.
Animal Control Director Jason Broome said Monday some volunteers repeatedly violated Georgia Department of Agriculture policies in their zeal to place animals, even after he asked them to stop.
“You can’t ship dogs from one state to an organization in another without the proper paperwork,” he said. “You need a health certificate and to abide by
all the rules of the state they’re going to.”
Broome said he accepts full responsibility, and he doesn’t want to burn any
bridges with committed local volunteers. But he’s shaken by some of the vicious rumors, virulent e-mails and Internet videos that sprang up when he cracked down on the protocol violations.
County Commissioners also have been fielding numerous inflammatory calls and received forwarded e-mails saying the shelter is a hell hole that murders defenseless animals.
“My e-mail has been burning up, and I can imagine how the (animal control) staff feels,” Commissioner Chad Whitefield said. “It’s already heart-wrenching work.”
Elizabeth Ard, a longtime volunteer and Floyd County Humane Society member, was quick to defend the shelter operations.
“The staff is great. I can’t say enough good things about them. And the inmates who work there are caring and considerate,” she said. “This (fuss) was propelled by one or two people violating paperwork procedure and has nothing to do with harming animals.”
Ard said the “bogus” e-mails are the same she saw four years ago when she and a group of friends decided to start posting local animals to Petfinder.
“The Internet breeds these malicious people — who don’t even live here, but generate bizarre and misleading e-mails,” she said. “People see it, they think it’s true, and this ‘hive mind’ can be destructive.”
Commissioner John Mayes said all but a few of his contacts have been from people outside Georgia, spurred on by out-of-state rescue organizations that don’t qualify for Floyd County adoptions.
He said there are legitimate concerns about turning over animals to uncredentialed groups that choose to work outside their home states.
In other actions Tuesday, the board declared surplus a list of 74 properties acquired through nonpayment of taxes and approved a proposal from J.L. Todd Auction Co. to auction most of the sites before the end of the year.
Williams said the majority are small residential lots, vacant and overgrown. The auction will likely be “absolute,” meaning the county will accept whatever is offered in order to return the tracts to the tax rolls.
Click here to see a list of surplus property to be auctioned.
How to adopt
To adopt a pet from the Floyd County Animal Control shelter, visit the facility at 431 Mathis Road. Those adopting a pet must agree to have the animal sterilized and vaccinated, and adoption fees are $40 for dogs and $35 for cats. Residents who rent or lease must have written permission from their landlord. The shelter is closed on Wednesdays.
County Press Release:
Rome, Ga. – Due to unfortunate circumstances, the Floyd County Animal Control volunteer program has been suspended effective immediately. Animal Control will continue to facilitate the rescue of unwanted animals through the 52 pre-approved rescue groups currently registered at Animal Control as well as accept new rescue organizations who qualify.
For the past ten months, Floyd County has attempted to minimize the euthanizations of unwanted animals by working with volunteers at the Animal Shelter to facilitate more rescues. Volunteer tasks included posting pictures of animals on the PetFinder website, fielding inquiries, and arranging rescues for these animals. Floyd County has standard operating procedures and protocols for all involved to follow, both to ensure the safety of the animals, as well as to limit any legal or regulatory exposure of Floyd County.
“Because of the sheer volume of animals, the number of rescue organizations involved, and limited staff, a certain degree of trust is invested in the volunteers to follow these procedures,” said Blaine Williams, Assistant County Manager. “While many of the volunteers have performed a tireless job and are very well-intentioned, these procedures haven’t been carefully followed, despite repeated reminders from staff. Among others, reference-checking has been delegated to others outside of Floyd County, animal tags have been falsified, and licenses apparently used improperly in the rescue of animals. The failure to follow these procedures has ultimately resulted in animals from the Animal Shelter being transported to uncertified rescues and persons who are not legally compliant in their home cities/counties, as well as creating the potential of regulatory issues with the Georgia Department of Agriculture (DOA), the agency that inspects and gives Animal Control its license to operate.”
In addition, despite staff efforts to work closely with the volunteers and the locally unprecedented number of rescues accomplished through this partnership, the amount of negative rumors, e-mail, internet videos, press releases, phone calls and slanderous comments against the Animal Control operation and individual staff has dramatically increased.
“Primarily all of the complaints have been placed by persons who live out of the area/state and have never been to the Floyd County Animal Control Shelter,” said Williams. “The accusations cited in these complaints have come from unknown sources who have deliberately misrepresented the state of the Shelter, with the result of severely hampering the ability of Animal Control staff to continue with the day-to-day operations.”
“We are confident in the abilities of the staff to continue organizing rescues and they will now begin posting pictures, etc of animals up for adoption on these sites in efforts to keep the adoption/rescue numbers up,” said Williams.
continued
http://thevoiceforthevoiceless.blogspot.com/2010/10/county-suspends-volunteer-services-at.html
Animal activists who launched smear campaign branding lab suppliers paedophiles and murderers are jailed
Five animal rights extremists who waged a war of 'intimidation, violence and terror' against firms linked to a controversial animal testing lab were jailed today.
Sarah Whitehead, 53, Nicole Vosper, 22, Thomas Harris, 27, Jason Mullan, 32, and 29-year-old Nicola Tapping were all members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (Shac).
The youngest member of the conspiracy Alfie Fitzpatrick, 21, received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Winchester Crown Court heard how the six waged a wide-ranging international conspiracy of intimidation against a host of supply companies to force the closure of Cambridge-based HLS.
Facing jail: Nicole Vosper, 22, of Newquay, Cornwall, was jailed for three-and-a-half years. Right, Nicola Tapping, 29, of Ringwood in Hampshire was sentenced to three years
Attacks: Graffiti used by animal rights activists to intimidate companies linked to Huntingdon Life Sciences in an attempt to close down the animal testing lab
They posted realistic hoax bombs to the homes of staff and offices, caused criminal damage, threaten violence and made abusive telephone calls.
Some company directors had leaflets distributed near their home falsely telling neighbours they were convicted paedophiles and others had blood-stained personal items 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.
Passing sentence, Judge Keith Cutler said the well-planned and relentless campaign had been 'synonymous with intimidation, violence and terror'.
Extremists: Jason Mullan, 32, of north London was jailed for three years. Right, 53-year-old Sarah Whitehead of Littlehampton, West Sussex, was sentenced to six years
Graffiti on damaged cars used by animal rights activists to intimidate companies linked to Huntingdon Life Sciences
'The action was taken in order to distress and terrify, and in that you were successful,' he told them.
Whitehead, the oldest member of the group - who was referred to as 'Mumsy' by the others - was today given six years in jail.
Sentencing her, Judge 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.
Whitehead also received a ten-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.
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, and 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.
Caught out: Thomas Harris, 27, of Ringwood in Hampshire, was sentenced to three years' jail. Right, Alfie Fitzpatrick, 21, from Solihull, West Midlands, was given the 12-month sentence, suspended for two years, and told to complete 100 hours of community work
A letter used by animal rights activists to intimidate employees of companies linked to Huntingdon Life Sciences
Harris was described as having taken 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.
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 total cost of damage and increased security costs was £12.6 million, the court had heard.
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, of Littlehampton, West Sussex, Vosper, of Newquay, Cornwall, and Harris, of Ringwood, Hampshire, had all admitted conspiracy to blackmail companies and suppliers linked to the Cambridge-based company between 2001 and 2008.
Graffiti used by animal rights activists to intimidate companies' employees
Mullan, of London, Tapping of Ringwood and Fitzpatrick, of 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.
Judge Cutler 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.'
Police said that since the arrests of the group 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.'
Alistair Nisbet, from the CPS, said on the steps of the court: 'These defendants were not legitimate welfare protestors but people who were prepared to carry out criminal acts which tormented and deeply distressed their victims, sometimes over a number of years.
'They threatened and intimidated those who were going about their lawful business because they personally objected to the victims supplying goods and services to Huntingdon Life Sciences.
'Those who have not been subject to such a campaign cannot understand how harrowing it is to be constantly on your guard against threatening letters and emails, vandalism to your home and car and even hoax bomb threats. Or what it is like to have your employers told, maliciously and repeatedly, that you are a paedophile.
'Our society supports the right to free speech and to campaign peacefully but where that behaviour is criminal regardless of the perceived cause, a prosecution will almost certainly follow and if convicted, a significant prison sentence.'
A spokesman representing Thames Valley, Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire Police Forces said that they were satisfied with the sentences.
'The sentences passed today by the Crown Court in Winchester are a fitting reflection of the systematic and relentless intimidation of individuals and their employers, carried out by a small group of criminals.
'The criminal tactics employed by members of SHAC - which ranged from sending threatening e-mails to placing explosive devices - were designed to create a climate of fear amongst their victims.
'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.
'The police service remains committed to facilitating the peaceful protest of the majority, but as we have seen today, we will not tolerate individuals who try and use crime to force their targets into submission.'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)