While motorists are allowed to get away with intimidating and killing people...

This is what happens to animal rights protesters. The motorists who
dominate and infest this transport newsgroup will love this and will
gloat. They especially hate ARAs.

"Following a lengthy police investigation and an 18-week trial costing
over £4.5 million, the operator of a website criticising animal
testing company Sequani, has been jailed for four and a half years for
organising a legal protest.

In an unprecedented case, the press were barred from reporting the
trial, witnesses were bussed into the court and mobile phones were
even confiscated from the public before they entered the gallery and
the jury. The atmosphere was more akin to a terrorist trial than one
relating to non-violent protest, which made the charges appear far
more sinister than they in fact were. The choice of judge was also
considered highly questionable considering he is a keen hunter.

Sean Kirtley was found guilty under Section 145 of the SOCPA law for
Interfering with the contractual relationships of a Laboratory for
allegedly organising protests at Sequani Limited and associated
business associates. Police say disorder took place on a occasions
during protests and claim as the organiser that Sean is responsible
for any criminality that takes place.

The police claimed that during the protests individuals, not Kirtley,
had been verbally abusive to staff members and that they had caused
them to feel harassed. However, no-one was arrested or charged with
such an offence, and prosecution witnesses testified that Kirtley had
on most occasions been silent and peaceful throughout protests. Whilst
Kirtley contends he did not organise protests at Sequani or its
suppliers, he operated a website which effectively campaigned against
the company. In a move that will alarm internet publishers and
bloggers, posting details of the legal protests and information about
Sequani and suppliers was considered key evidence that he was the
campaign organiser.

As the supposed organiser of the legal protest, Kirtley has therefore
been convicted because of supposed actions by phantom third parties
that Sean had conspired with or as the law states persons unknown.
No evidence was used in the trial that proved he had engaged in anti
social behaviour on demonstrations, criminal damage or any other
illegal activity.

Kirtley will now be incarcerated for far longer than most dangerous
criminals. It appears that after such an expensive and extensive
investigation, the CPS needed a conviction to justify such a huge
expense of public money. Even then, the sentence passed was unusually
severe. Child abusers, rapists and violent criminals are often given
far lower sentences for far more serious crimes. In the same week, in
two other high-profile cases, a man was given a similar sentence for
causing the violent death of his baby son, and two brothers were
jailed for only two years for committing serious assault that
permanently blinded their victim..."

More:

http://westernanimalrights.wordpress.com/

--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
One man's democracy is another man's regime.

date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:07:40 -0700 (PDT) author: Doug

Re: ART found guilty once again.

On 12 Jun, 07:07, Doug  wrote:

> Sean Kirtley was found guilty under Section 145 of the SOCPA law for
> Interfering with the contractual relationships of a Laboratory for
> allegedly organising protests at Sequani Limited and associated
> business associates.

Have you thought about posting this crap to a more appropriate group
e.g.alt.animal.rights or alt.dev.null
btw. you don't get found guilty of an "alleged" crime.

date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:14:46 -0700 (PDT) author: NotMe