Seven animal rights protesters have been given stiff jail sentences following their part in a violent demonstration against a cat breeding farm.

Six protesters were sent to prison for terms ranging between eight months and a year, while a seventh was sentenced to nine months suspended for two years.

Most of the defendants had no previous convictions.

Oxford Crown Court heard the seven were involved in an 800-strong demonstration at Hillgrove Cat Farm, near Witney, in April last year.

David Bright, prosecuting, said: "This is about public violence.

"Missiles, including rocks and stones, were thrown at the farmhouse causing considerable damage as 750 to 800 people carried out a mass trespass at Hillgrove Farm and neighbouring properties.

"There was a great deal of noise and unhappily, violence was used. Sixty windows and £3,000 of roof tiles were broken, and police were at risk of injury from the hundreds of missiles thrown. Suzanne Amos, 33, of Leicester, Peter Merson-Davies, 30, of Hove, Timothy Senior, 25, of Eastbourne, Paul Holliday, 32, of Sheffield, David Lakeman, 24, of Irchester, Northamptonshire, Lucy Richards, 25, of Wellington, Somerset, and Wendy Nicolaou, 44, of Guildford, all pleaded guilty to violent disorder.

Judge Anthony King said they could demonstrate lawfully. "But what occurred on this occasion could not possibly be described as lawful activity," he said.

Holliday was given 12 months' jail, Amos 12 months for violent disorder and three months concurrent for common assault; Merson-Davies 12 months and 14 days concurrent for breach of conditional discharge, Senior and Lakeman nine months, Richards eight months and Nicolaou nine months suspended for two years.

Story date: Monday 15 February

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