A 60-YEAR-OLD hunt monitor said she was violently knocked to the ground by a supporter as she tried to film a hunt taking place in Oxfordshire.
Judy Gilbert, a hunt monitor for Protect Our Wild Animals - an Oxfordshire anti-hunt organisation - was filming the Heythrop Hunt in Dean, when she claims a supporter of the hunt attacked her.
She said the man barged into her, causing her to fall down a slope into a patch of brambles.
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Mrs Gilbert, of Watlington, suffered scratches and bruises, and said she was distressed afterwards.
And while she called the police to report the incident, no officers attended the scene.
Mrs Gilbert said: "I am very disappointed that this totally unprovoked and violent attack upon me was treated as low priority by the police.
"We hunt monitors are struggling against impossible odds as we try to fill the void left by the police, who have chosen to ignore the Hunting Act and are leaving hunts to do exactly as they please." A ban on fox hunting with dogs in England and Wales was introduced on February 18, 2005.
Mrs Gilbert, who has film footage of the incident, which she has passed to the police, added: "Before hunting was made illegal, police were frequently present throughout an entire hunt, and we would see anything up to a dozen officers patrolling around all day.
"Since the ban, the police are nowhere to be seen. If they had the resources then, why not now?"
Although the Hunting Act is not giving a high priority in the National Policing Plan, Thames Valley Police said they were committed to investigating allegations of illegal hunting.
Insp Pete Downing, of the headquarters operations department at Thames Valley Police, said: "We have had very few allegations of illegal hunting.
"Where we have received them, we have investigated them thoroughly, and where appropriate, sought the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service.
"We reiterate that the behaviour of all parties engaging at a hunting activity must be lawful, and would be concerned that the depth of feeling over these issues could lead to further conflict or disorder."
Liz Wills, joint master of Heythrop Hunt, said: "People getting injured during our hunts happens very rarely indeed. I am sorry Mrs Gilbert got injured. If it involved one of our hunt supporters, then I do not condone it at all.
"Mrs Gilbert and various of her colleagues have been monitoring our hunts on a frequent and regular basis, and we are all feeling very harassed by this.
"We are hunting within the law, and the hunt monitors are constantly putting a huge strain on us."
Police are still investigating the incident involving Mrs Gilbert, which happened on December 30.
Mick, If someone is assaulted then why wouldn't we expect the police to come to help? And if the hunt are behaving within
the law then why would a follower feel it necessary to shove a lady headlong down a bank just because she was peacefully
recording the scene? Lastly, let's remember that many hunt supporters spend three or four days a week hunting so no one
on their side is in a position to tell anyone else to 'get a life'.
Mick, If someone is assaulted then why wouldn't we expect the police to come to help? And if the hunt are behaving within
the law then why would a follower feel it necessary to shove a lady headlong down a bank just because she was peacefully
recording the scene? Lastly, let's remember that many hunt supporters spend three or four days a week hunting so no one
on their side is in a position to tell anyone else to 'get a life'.
Mick's comment just highlights the attitude of bloodsport losers. Anything that gets in their way of seeing wildlife killed can threatened, abused and attacked. They don't care about animals or humans. Judy Gilbert has more guts than Mick and his ilk will ever have.
Mick's comment just highlights the attitude of bloodsport losers. Anything that gets in their way of seeing wildlife killed can threatened, abused and attacked. They don't care about animals or humans. Judy Gilbert has more guts than Mick and his ilk will ever have.
BUllying is bullying - whether on Big Brother or by the minority who still believe in harassing and killing for sport. When this is illegal they must expect to be "monitored" - if they were not doing anything illegal why were the Heythrop supporters so aggressive?
BUllying is bullying - whether on Big Brother or by the minority who still believe in harassing and killing for sport. When this is illegal they must expect to be "monitored" - if they were not doing anything illegal why were the Heythrop supporters so aggressive?
Never been hunting in my life - not sure what 'ilk' that makes me. Simple point is that if this woman had not been there (and there was no need to be there) then this incident would not have happened.
Never been hunting in my life - not sure what 'ilk' that makes me. Simple point is that if this woman had not been there (and there was no need to be there) then this incident would not have happened.
Watson, it is because they are not doing anything illegal that the supporters are agressive. What gives these spineless self appointed vigilantes (the real authorities couldn't care less about them) the right to film and harrass people going about their legitimate business. You may claim that the hunts are acting illegally. Prove it. You can't, can you? Play with fire, get burnt.
Watson, it is because they are not doing anything illegal that the supporters are agressive. What gives these spineless self appointed vigilantes (the real authorities couldn't care less about them) the right to film and harrass people going about their legitimate business. You may claim that the hunts are acting illegally. Prove it. You can't, can you? Play with fire, get burnt.
Mick's srgument means the police need never attend incidents of violence/mugging/rape/racism etc as usulally the victim didn't need to be wherever they where when they were attacked. Everyone is entitled to the protection of the law and it is noticable that when anyone in the hunting fraternity (who don't need to be there) complains of being attacked the police are there in a flash.
Richard Which are the spineless ones? - The hunt monitors who know they will be out numbered many times over by the hunt and still go out or the hunters and their followers who attack the often elderly monitors knowing they have the rest of the hunt to run to if the tables are turned.
Mick's srgument means the police need never attend incidents of violence/mugging/rape/racism etc as usulally the victim didn't need to be wherever they where when they were attacked. Everyone is entitled to the protection of the law and it is noticable that when anyone in the hunting fraternity (who don't need to be there) complains of being attacked the police are there in a flash.
Richard Which are the spineless ones? - The hunt monitors who know they will be out numbered many times over by the hunt and still go out or the hunters and their followers who attack the often elderly monitors knowing they have the rest of the hunt to run to if the tables are turned.
Christ almighty - you hunt supporters are the lowest of the low. If the hunt monitor was not there she would not have been hurt. What tripe wrote that one? You could say the same about the victims of perverted killers.
Face it you scum - you are cruel unfeeling louts with all the morals of a snake (worse than snakes actually) but then you must already know that!
Christ almighty - you hunt supporters are the lowest of the low. If the hunt monitor was not there she would not have been hurt. What tripe wrote that one? You could say the same about the victims of perverted killers.
Face it you scum - you are cruel unfeeling louts with all the morals of a snake (worse than snakes actually) but then you must already know that!
If this lady and the other hunt monitors weren't there the hunt scum would certainly be killing as many foxes as they possibly could. It is only because the monitors are there that the hunters back off. That is exactly why they are so miffed. 'Get a life'? Thats exactly what these bloodthirsty murderers should do!!
If this lady and the other hunt monitors weren't there the hunt scum would certainly be killing as many foxes as they possibly could. It is only because the monitors are there that the hunters back off. That is exactly why they are so miffed. 'Get a life'? Thats exactly what these bloodthirsty murderers should do!!
Why is it that before the hunting ban, police used to turn up at hunts in groups of 20, and sometimes even 40, to make sure that protesters didn't spoil the chase by blowing a hunting horn? In case the average taxpayer wasn't aware, it became a criminal offence for a protester to blow a hunting horn at a hunt under the 1994 Public Order Act. Astonishing isn't it. Never once, between that time and the February 2005 ban did we hear any hunt supporters, or police officers for that matter, complain amount policing priorities. Do the police honestly think that in the broad scheme of things blowing a hunting horn is a worse crime than ripping animals apart for fun, the latter being an activity that kids from council estates are usually locked up for?[/italic]
Why is it that before the hunting ban, police used to turn up at hunts in groups of 20, and sometimes even 40, to make sure that protesters didn't spoil the chase by blowing a hunting horn? In case the average taxpayer wasn't aware, it became a criminal offence for a protester to blow a hunting horn at a hunt under the 1994 Public Order Act. Astonishing isn't it. Never once, between that time and the February 2005 ban did we hear any hunt supporters, or police officers for that matter, complain amount policing priorities. Do the police honestly think that in the broad scheme of things blowing a hunting horn is a worse crime than ripping animals apart for fun, the latter being an activity that kids from council estates are usually locked up for?
All the hunts i know are hunting with in the law i have been hunting for a very long time and i have never known a large number of police with the hunt wasting tax payers money.
I think cruel is putting a squirel that you have just run over in to your car, so your dog can kill it.
This stupid do gooder was a hunt monitor.
All the hunts i know are hunting with in the law i have been hunting for a very long time and i have never known a large number of police with the hunt wasting tax payers money.
I think cruel is putting a squirel that you have just run over in to your car, so your dog can kill it.
This stupid do gooder was a hunt monitor.
Wasting taxpayers’ money? – don’t get us all started on that one, Sara Hanks!
A significant section of the hunting fraternity benefits from huge taxpayer funded rural subsidies and incentives and what exactly do we all get in return? Do, please, remind us!
As for your tale about a squirrel, your interpretation appears to have a rather warped and offensive agenda. Are there no depths to which you people will not stoop? Much to my distress, I unavoidably ran over a rabbit that ran across the road in front of me, a few years ago. Thinking it may have just been stunned, I popped it in a box, in my car, hoping it might recover. Sadly, it didn’t. I would do the same again and so would any decent compassionate human, who had unavoidably run over any animal.
To return to the original subject matter, if Hunts claim to be hunting within the law, then they have nothing to fear from the presence of Monitors, who are entitled to Police protection when threatened and assaulted, like every other member of society.
Wasting taxpayers’ money? – don’t get us all started on that one, Sara Hanks!
A significant section of the hunting fraternity benefits from huge taxpayer funded rural subsidies and incentives and what exactly do we all get in return? Do, please, remind us!
As for your tale about a squirrel, your interpretation appears to have a rather warped and offensive agenda. Are there no depths to which you people will not stoop? Much to my distress, I unavoidably ran over a rabbit that ran across the road in front of me, a few years ago. Thinking it may have just been stunned, I popped it in a box, in my car, hoping it might recover. Sadly, it didn’t. I would do the same again and so would any decent compassionate human, who had unavoidably run over any animal.
To return to the original subject matter, if Hunts claim to be hunting within the law, then they have nothing to fear from the presence of Monitors, who are entitled to Police protection when threatened and assaulted, like every other member of society.
I'm very concerned by the comments made by those who support and follow the so called hunting within the law set. WHY are you all so aggresive, uncaring and not ashamed by the fact it was a lady of middle age, who was shoved down an embankment? And, dare I ask WHY such aggression if the hunt were staying within the law?
And as for hitting animals on roads, any caring human would stop and take the creature to be cared for. I have in the past stopped for an injured creature, which as been struck by a passing vehicle, and have taken it to the nearest vet for treatment.
I'm very concerned by the comments made by those who support and follow the so called hunting within the law set. WHY are you all so aggresive, uncaring and not ashamed by the fact it was a lady of middle age, who was shoved down an embankment? And, dare I ask WHY such aggression if the hunt were staying within the law?
And as for hitting animals on roads, any caring human would stop and take the creature to be cared for. I have in the past stopped for an injured creature, which as been struck by a passing vehicle, and have taken it to the nearest vet for treatment.
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