Animal rights activists have been fined nearly £60,000 after causing substantial damage to one of Arla's dairy distribution sites, in Hertfordshire.
Several members of the protest group Animal Rising broke into the Hatfield plant in September 2022, causing around £100,000 worth of damage in 20 minutes.
Following an extensive investigation, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary arrested and charged 14 people with conspiracy to cause criminal damage.
One of these left the country following the expiration of their visa, and an arrest warrant remains outstanding.
St Albans Crown Court heard how some of those who entered the site used cordless drills to make holes in the tyres of lorries waiting at the yard, and bolt cutters to cut off the air valves in what was described as a ‘planned and deliberate’ incident.
Eight people pleaded guilty to the offences and were sentenced across two hearings on 31 July and 5 August.
Five people pleaded not guilty to the offences and were convicted by a jury following a three-week trial.
According to the police, five further suspects were arrested in connection with the incident but failed to answer their bail having fled to the Czech Republic, and their arrest warrants remain outstanding.
On top of the collective sum of the fines, the thirteen defendants received sentences totalling 1,550 hours of community service and 168 months sentencing, suspended.
Inspector Donna Norris said the sentences passed down by the courts were a culmination of nearly two years’ worth of work in what had been a challenging and complex investigation.
“These 13 defendants turned up at a dairy distribution centre and caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage," she explained.
"They were protesting around climate change and animal welfare and, regardless of your views on the topic, this does not mean you can take the law into your own hands and damage property belonging to others.
“This was a pre-planned incident, with much of it filmed and posted on social media. I hope these sentences will reassure the public that we will deal with matters such as these seriously, and that offenders will be brought to justice.”
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, external affairs director for the Countryside Alliance, welcomed the sentencing, calling the incident in September 2022 'blatant hooliganism and vandalism'.
He said: “It is right that the offenders have been brought to justice. The public are sick and tired of seeing disruption caused by a handful of obsessive, warped activists and it is commendable that Hertfordshire Constabulary pursued this case so rigorously”.
A spokesperson for Animal Rising blamed the previous Conservative government’s “harsh new protest laws” and dubbed the sentencing as “harsh”.
