Kennedy News and MediaFootage has emerged which shows a horse rider squirting an elderly hunt protester with a bottle of fox urine.
The video shows 51-year-old Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt member Julie Hadlow squirting yellow liquid into the face of a West Kent Hunt Sabs protester known only as ‘Bob’.
64-year-old Bob, known fondly as ‘Uncle Bob’ among his fellow protesters, had been questioning the group’s hunting methods when Hadlow assaulted him. He has reportedly been left ‘severely shaken’ following the incident, which led to him suffering blocked sinuses and a sore throat.
In the video Bob can be heard asking hunters what substance they had been using to lay a scent. To this, Hadlow responded, ‘p*ss’.
Bob then asked Hadlow what was in the bottle. At this point, she again replied, ‘p*ss’ and proceeded to squirt Bob with the contents of the bottle.
On Tuesday, August 13, Hadlow was found guilty of common assault at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court, Kent, and given a 12 month conditional discharge. She was also ordered to pay court costs of £640.
Kennedy News and MediaHarry Blackhurst, of West Kent Hunt Sabs, has described the sentence as a ‘massive result’; claiming it to be the first time any Kent hunters have been given a conviction.
Blackhurst – who had been with Bob at the time of the assault – said:
As it stands now, Julie has a criminal record. It’s a massive result for us because it is the first time any member of a hunt in the county of Kent has been convicted. On that basis we are happy.
The 64-year-old in our group [who she squirted with fox urine] is affectionately known as ‘Uncle Bob’. He was really shaken up after the incident and when he got back in the vehicle he absolutely reeked.
We almost had to ask him to get out because we were feeling sick being around him. He got terrible blocked sinuses and a bad sore throat. He actually went to the doctors about it after and had a blood test.
Blackhurst continued:
We didn’t know what was in that bottle. It could have been anything. Think of all the diseases foxes could carry. I think she could have had a stronger sentence. Twelve months conditional discharge for being convicted of common assault is about as lenient as it gets.
But no matter what the hunters throw at us, whether it’s fox juice, shooting down our drone or violence, we will not be deterred in the pursuit of justice for our wildlife.
Hunt protesters are concerned with the difficulties of proving illegal hunting activities when a fox is killed. West Kent Hunt Sabs and other such groups focus on catching illegal activities and holding hunts to account.
Kennedy News and MediaAt the time of the assault, West Kent Hunt Sabs members had been monitoring The Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt to ensure they had not been partaking in illegal hunts.
According to Blackhurst, they had filmed the hunters as they made their way back to the farm. The hunters accused them of trespassing, however they had reportedly been using a public footpath.
A spokesperson from the Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt has made the following statement about the incident:
The Ashford Valley Tickham Hunt does not condone any form of law-breaking, even in the face of extreme provocation, personal harassment, malicious trespass and other offences that hunts are regularly subjected to by animal rights activists.
The hunt acts lawfully within the confines of the Hunting Act 2004 and takes every measure to ensure this legislation is adhered to. For trail-laying we use an ethically sourced scent which is derived from the products of a controlled wildlife management programme.
Kennedy News and MediaThe hunting act was passed in 2004, making it illegal for hunters to chase foxes with a pack of dogs. The Hunts then began ‘trail hunting’, using fox scent to lay a trail for dogs to follow.
Blackhurst explained:
If when following a trail hounds accidentally pick up the scent of a live fox, they can say it was an accident, which is a massive flaw in the law.
If they ever get caught they can just say it’s an accident, so it would be up to the police to prove that it wasn’t an accident. That’s why we do what we do.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have since confirmed sentencing details, and have stated the liquid in question was a mixture of ‘fox urine and water’.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.