HSA news release 5th March 2005

A member of the Essex Farmers and Union hunt was arrested today (5 March 2005) after a hunt saboteur was struck on the head with a riding crop. The victim, a 29 year old woman, was not treated at the scene, but will be attending a doctor's surgery on Monday.

The Essex Farmers and Union Hunt, which has a reputation for violence against anti-hunt protestors, had met at the Star public house in Steeple near Maldon, Essex.

The hunt attempted to use a loophole in the Hunting Act which allows two hounds to be used to flush foxes out to waiting guns. The saboteurs at the scene made noises by the waiting to guns to scare foxes back from that direction so they would not be shot by the waiting hunters. This tactic proved succesful three times at which point the hunters set about attacking the saboteurs.