Five Animal Rising activists are accused of being part of a burglary at MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire in December 2022, where 20 beagles were taken
A man told police ‘I rescued as many beautiful Beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell’ following a break-in at a facility that breeds dogs for animal testing, a court has heard.
Ben Newman, 35, from Hackney, is amongst 18 individuals accused of participating in a burglary involving activists from Animal Rising, previously known as Animal Rebellion, after 20 dogs were removed from MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire in December 2022.
Film footage shown to jurors this week appeared to depict activists – donning pink t-shirts emblazoned with ‘What would you do if this was your dog?’ – kissing and cradling puppies as they lifted them up a ladder and over a fence during the night.
Video recordings from within the B4 building, also presented to jurors, revealed dozens of dogs who seemed to be whimpering and pressing against the sides of their metal enclosures, whilst activists climbed inside to hand them out for others to remove, reports MyLondon.
Two of the animals were retrieved by police at the location on Sawtry Way in Wyton, Huntingdon, however 18 of them were never returned to MBR (Marshall Bio Resources).
Prosecutor Mitchell Cohen characterised it as an “organised, planned operation”.
Newman, alongside Nathan McGovern, 26, from Lewisham, Hannah Hunt, 26, from Brighton, Eben Lazarus, 25, from Brighton, and Lewis Elliott, 32, from Cumbria, represent the first group of defendants to face a jury at Cambridge Crown Court, with additional defendants scheduled to appear in subsequent linked trials due to courtroom capacity constraints.
‘Dogs are the trading commodity of MBR Acres’
On Wednesday, December 3, Mr Cohen indicated this trial will likely centre on whether the defendants behaved “dishonestly” by ordinary standards, which the prosecution must establish for jurors to deliver guilty verdicts.
The court was informed that the burglary offence under Section 9 of the Theft Act (1968) demands a person enters as a trespasser, meaning “they know they should not be there”, and that they plan to steal, meaning to “dishonestly appropriate goods belonging to others which they do not intend to return”.
“It may be uncomfortable for you to think of dogs as goods, but they are, in this case, goods. Animate objects, of course, dogs that must be cared for, of course, but they are the trading commodity of MBR Acres, a breeding facility,” said Mr Cohen.
When determining whether the defendant has behaved dishonestly, Mr Cohen clarified a belief must be “honestly held”, even if mistaken, and that if genuinely held the belief must be “reasonable”, meaning an ordinary person considers the actions were reasonable or honest.
The facility, which provides dogs for medical testing and toxicology, holds a licence and undergoes Home Office inspections with “no concerns have been raised”, jurors heard.
A permanent demonstration outside the site called ‘Camp Beagle’ exists, which differs from Animal Rising but remains ‘aligned’, according to Mr Cohen.
‘They are not coming out’ Mr Cohen told the court that a short-term rental accommodating 20 people had been secured in Derby Road, Luton, registered under Michael Sykes’ name, a defendant in a subsequent trial. During the early morning of December 20, a convoy of five hired vehicles departed from the property, meeting up with a sixth car on Huntingdon Road at approximately 4.30am, the court was told.
Shortly before 6am, CCTV footage shown to the jury captured torch beams and what appeared to be sparks from cutting tools, followed by images of protesters climbing over barbed wire-topped fencing using a ladder.
Additional recordings made by a security guard were presented to jurors, featuring a male protester seemingly telling a guard he “understood” his role. The identical footage also seemed to capture a ladder being shoved, with protesters arguing the behaviour could be “dangerous”.
In separate video evidence, recorded by another guard, a protester could be heard stating: “You have just touched my boobs, I really do not like that… We are here non-violently.”
Within the same clip, a guard was also audible instructing a protester “Do not lean against me” as she apparently tried to carry a dog through a gap in the fencing.
Following the filming guard’s comment “They are not coming out”, a protester was then heard declaring “They are going to kill that dog. They are going to bleed to death… All we are asking is for you to let one dog out.”
In another exchange captured on body-worn footage, an activist appeared visibly distressed as she declared: “I know you know what happens here and you must have to switch it off to do your job, but I can’t switch it off.”
‘They are brought up to die’
Mr Cohen revealed that all defendants were detained at the location, with Lazarus, Elliott, and McGovern remaining silent during interrogation.
Newman, discovered in possession of pink wire-cutters, declined to answer questions but provided a prepared statement asserting: “The actions I took today to save innocent dogs from suffering and death were lawful… I rescued as many beautiful Beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell.”
Hunt similarly refused to respond to questioning, but declared: “If you see what conditions they live in… when you smell their faeces… they are brought up to die in animal testing.”
Indicating the defence might seek to transform the proceedings into a “political platform”, Mr Cohen continued: “The law cannot allow people to break into a facility and take what does not belong to them because of their deeply held and deeply believed beliefs.
“The defendants attended as trespassers knowing they were not invited, knowing they were not welcome, and having entered as trespassers in the early hours of the morning, took property, 20 Beagles belonging to MBR Acres, and intended they would never be returned.
“They did so dishonestly against that objective test. They did so dishonestly in the minds of ordinary men and women…”
A further 13 defendants, whose names were presented to the jury on the indictment, are also scheduled to face trial at a later date.
