Pro-hunt invaders convicted
Eight pro-hunting supporters who invaded the House of Commons chamber have been found guilty under the Public Order Act.
The pro-hunt protestors dressed up as builders and used a forged invitation to gain access to parliament before storming the Commons chamber.
At Bow Street magistrates court today the eight men, who included rock star Bryan Ferry’s son Otis, 22, were found guilty of causing “harassment, alarm or distress”.
They were each ordered to pay £350 costs and all received 18 months conditional discharge.
However, Ferry, master of the Shropshire hunt, said afterwards that the case had caused “deep embarrassment” for the Government, adding: “It is a shame we had to go to these lengths to get our voices heard.”
The court heard how the men broke off from a larger pro-hunting demonstration outside Westminster on September 15 last year before donning builders’ outfits and gaining entrance to the building by saying they were there to do renovations.
David Redvers, 34, Andrew Elliot, 42, and Richard Wakeham, 36, were stopped by the three members of staff on duty at the chamber door but the other five, including Ferry, got inside.
There, the prosecution maintained, the protestors caused alarm and distress to those present. However, the judge accepted there had been no intention to threaten violence.
“Your actions caused disruption to the House of Commons and caused some of those present alarm,” district judge Timothy Workman told the defendants.
“To your credit the incident itself was brief and there was no violence and those moments of alarm quickly passed. Within one or two moments you were fully co-operative with the authorities and I treat you all as men of good character.”
Metropolitan Police (MPS) assistant commissioner Steve House added afterwards: “The MPS rightly upholds individuals rights to hold lawful protest and we facilitate huge numbers of demonstrations every year.”
But he added: “These men had no intention of being part of a lawful demonstration but pre-planned and committed a criminal offence.”
The other men convicted were Nicholas Wood, 41, John Holiday, 37, Luke Tomlinson, 27, and Robert Thame, 35.
