A man has been cleared of assaulting a group of female anti-hunt protesters.
Martin Eccleston, 53, of Coolham Road, Thakeham, West Sussex, clashed with them at a hunt meeting in January 2005.
He was convicted of causing criminal damage to the women’s Land Rover, but cleared of charges of common assault and inflicting actual bodily harm.
A jury at Lewes Crown Court failed to reach verdicts on two other actual bodily harm charges. Eccleston was given a 12-month conditional discharge.
He was also ordered to pay £60 compensation after being found guilty of smashing the rear windscreen of the protesters’ vehicle.
The prosecution said it would not be seeking a retrial on the two charges the jury could not reach verdicts on.
The confrontation happened at a meeting of the Crawley and Horsham Hunt near Thakeham.
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Source: BBC News
