There is a point here - these are self confessed SHAC members - these crimes were claimed on the SHAC website - so much for SHAC being a lawful campaign - and there is no escaping their guilt - they admitted it!
Tuesday, 3.30pm: Animal rights activists carried out a "reconnaissance" raid on a Lincolnshire rabbit farm with links to the Huntingdon Life Sciences research company, a jury was told today, Tuesday.
The four arrived at Highgate Farm near Normanby by Spital, in the middle of the night on October 13 last year.But after getting into the premises they quickly left, knowing they were being filmed on the farm's security system, Lincoln Crown Court was toldFelicity Gerry, prosecuting, said the four, who had all travelled from the north of England, were intending to frighten the farmer into stopping supplying rabbits for research."It was designed to interfere with the contract by which Highgate Farm supplied rabbits to Huntingdon Life Sciences, " she said."The idea being to frighten the farmer into ceasing his business."The purpose of that visit was for reconnaissance with a view to committing criminal damage on a future dateMiss Gerry said three of the four visited the same farm a week earlier but did not enter the premises.All four had links to the campaigning group SHAC - Stop Hunitingdon Animal Cruelty - which listed Highgate Farm on its website as a potential target for "direct action"."It is some distance for them to travel. It is obvious they were going for a purpose and they were planning for a future attack," she added.The jury heard how the same farm was raided in January 2008 by animal rights activists who " liberated" 129 rabbits and caused extensive damage.Slogans were daubed on the building and paint stripper was thrown onto vehicles, including a Lamborghini..Film of the raid was later posted on the SHAC website but none of the four in court today were linked to that raid, the jury was told.Miss Gerry said the four involved in the October raid were captured on CCTV stopping at Birch Services on the M62 and at the farm and a nearby filling station.The jury has been told that three men in the car have already admitted a charge of conspiracy to interfere with a contractual relationship so as to harm an animal research establishment.They are Dean Cain ,27, of King Street, Ulverston, Cumbria; Luke Steele ,18, of Woodside View, Leeds 4; and a 17 year old boy from Urmston, Manchester;Cain's girlfriend Victoria Waterhouse-Taylor ,18 , of Eva Street, Rusholme, Manchester, denies the same charge.
6 comments:
For all the sage advice about fitting CCTV (have you ever tried getting plod to act on the results afterwards?) it's noteworthy that in this case the farm's CCTV cameras were deliberately exploited by the ALF as a means of intimidation, as they paraded across the camera's vision in masks and hoods and so on.
This is not the first time that CCTV has been exploited in this way. (It happened to Darley Oaks workers and their relatives quite a lot.) In the organized stalking world, this is known as "street theatre", the choreographed performance of a deliberately threatening display, but the CCTV frees them of the need to wait until they have their victim's attention before performing their little play!
The ALF's summer camps used to have little courses in how to evade (or exploit) CCTV, and Medawar wonders how many of these maggots have actually been caught by it?
Perhaps some variant of a Ray Mears-style sandtrap might be better? Smooth areas of fine sand, which might retain clear footprints. There have been big advances in matching and analysing shoe imprints in recent years,
and this might prove better in the long run that CCTV of someone wearing a mask and hood!
There might be a better material than sand? The only point of a sand trap is to capture a foot impression, not to take a foot off.
Ideally, it should be imperceptible to the intruder.
Take good quality photographs of any impressions, because it may take some time for anyone intelligent and competent in the police to take an interest in the fact that you have EVIDENCE.
Don't expect too instant a response, because the only instant response that's likely is a negative one. (Phoning the police is very similar to submitting a manuscript to publishers...)
The ALF in general will now shift its attention to people outside the medical research industry, who are less likely to be believed and protected by police. After they have honed fresh techniques on these soft targets for a while, they may return.
Have to say I do feel sorry for Dean Cain, he was always easily led at school and often ended up doing things after being egged on by others, I wonder if that was the case here. I hope when he gets out he can get real support and help from real friends.
Let's not be under any illusion about what SHAC is, the fluffy bunny stuff may well play well with uninformed people on high streets but the reality is they are a terrorist group,
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors U.S. domestic extremism, has described SHAC's modus operandi as "frankly terroristic tactics similar to those of anti-abortion extremists. "The campaign has used tactics ranging from non-violent protest to the alleged firebombing of houses owned by executives associated with HLS clients and investors, and several SHAC activists have been convicted for their role in the campaign. In May 2005, an official with the FBI's counterterrorism division included SHAC in a list of what he called special-interest extremist movements that he said are the "most serious domestic terrorism threats" in the U.S.[14] Later that month, the Animal Liberation Front issued a warning in support of the campaign that threatened further violence: "If you support or raise funds for any company connected with Huntingdon Life Sciences we will track you down, come for you and destroy your property with fire."
The ALF has always been in search of people who are easily led.
Hence the late Richard Wiggs using his position as a special needs teacher, to "involve the mentally handicapped in political protest". In his eyes and those of the more demented parents of children in his charge, this was an example of enlightenment, because he was giving them a chance to participate in something they'd otherwise be excluded from. Excluded on the very proper grounds that they'd have no understanding of what they were doing, its consequences for themselves or its effect on the targets of the "protest".
Wigg started teaching in Hitchin, was run out of town by a headmaster who rumbled him, started up again in Baldock, was run out of all Hertfordshire County Council Schools, and washed up in Biggleswade, where he made a little empire out of special needs provision. It is no coincidence that a lot of ALFs in Bedfordshire are either his ex-pupils, their parents, his colleagues or those involved in charities for the handicapped, in which he played a role.
A dyed-in-the-beard luddite, who managed to disguise a lifetime of malice as do-gooding.
Just one Richard Wiggs can mislead a score of Dean Cains and launch them at targets from behind safe cover. Then, when the score of Dean Cains are all in jail, lives ruined, the Wiggs character goes out and finds a score more.
Perhaps Ronnie Lee was a Dean Cain once, and somehow survived, to become a Richard Wiggs. He even looks like Wiggs now!
Eleanor White does say that stalking groups tend to be multi-generational...
I think a lot of pepole have sympathy for Dean Cain. Dean was a little slow at school, got in with the SHAC/ALF crowd and the rest as they say is history. SHAC/ALF has a long history of using people who are immature to further their ends and Dean is a good example of that. I understand his parents are livid with those within the SHAC/ALF who pushed into this course of action that has seen him end up in prison.
It seems when he gets out they are looking to move abroad, take him with them and build a new life away frm the poison that is SHAC/ALF
as a family member i would like to say dean is not a terrorist or is he slow he is held in high regard by all of his family members not only does dean endevour to raise awareness of the ongoing cruelty of animals in our supposedly civilised society he also has worked for many other charities in his home town raising money for the disadvantaged. Dean is a very sensitive caring man who would help any person or animal in distress, dean does not deserve to be locked up beside those who have harmed others in anyway it is soul destroying and only highlights to me and many others how our criminal justice system goes wrong we need to look at the actions of the police in recent peaceful protest events our system needs attention people have served less time for rape and murder. Dean is unique he doesnt spend his spare time or money drinking alcohol, smoking or taking drugs instead he lives his life dedicating his time and money to worthy causes i dont no much about shac or their actions i just know that deans is a decent human being with decent principles not all of them in line with todays regular twenty something males.
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