Saboteur harassed and assaulted hunt employee

An anti-hunting activist has been found guilty of assault and harassment of a North Wales hunt employee.

The charges relate to an incident on 28 January and footage that Rhyl-based saboteur Judi Hewitt took and posted on YouTube of the Flint and Denbighshire hunt's countryman Rob Smith using a terrier to flush a fox from underground to a waiting gun, in accordance with the Hunting Act.

Ms Hewitt denied assaulting Mr Smith and harassing him by trespassing on land, obstructing him and posting offensive comments on websites and social media, however she was found guilty at Llandudno Magistrates court on Friday (24 October). She will be sentenced at a later date.

Tim Bonner director of campaigns at the Countryside Alliance said: "Robert Smith was undertaking important, and completely legal, wildlife management work for the landowner. It is outrageous that he should have been harassed by Ms Hewitt in this way whilst going about his job."

For more information, contact the Countryside Alliance press office on 0207 8409220 and 07500 834163 or email [email protected]