A WOMAN was yesterday found not guilty of assaulting a man who tried to film a hunt near Faringdon.
Amanda Benson denied assault by beating and was cleared of the charge by District Judge Tim Pattinson, after a two-day trial.
The first day of the trial took place earlier this month.
Complainant Wayne Foreman described how the 53-year-old hit him twice when he pointed a camera at her.
Mrs Benson had attended a meet of the Eton College and Radley College beagles hunts on January 12 , as her son, who attends Eton, was the master of the hunt.
She told Oxford Magistrates’ Court she thought Mr Foreman, a member of a Berkshire-based hunt monitoring group, was going to hit her with his camera.
Mrs Benson, of Culkerton, Gloucestershire, said: “He sort of lunged with the camera at me. It was a split-second reaction. I thought I was going to get hit in the face. I put my hand up and sort of swatted it away.”
Karen Cushing, prosecuting, said the act was a momentary loss of self control. She said of the video evidence from the day: “ The footage is clear: there is no immediate fear of violence. It shows you in anger when the camera lifted to film you.”
Mr Pattinson said: “I can accept that Mrs Benson was fearful as it was swung round and I find that it was reasonable to push or strike the camera away in view of proximity to her face.”
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