Investigation After Female Hunt Sabs Assaulted

Police are investigating after members of the Northants Hunt Saboteurs group were assaulted while monitoring hunt activities near Oakham.

The women were dragged to the ground by a group of men in a field on Saturday afternoon.

Those involved have provided witness statements to officers and say the men were acting a stewards for the Cottesmore Hunt.

The incident was captured on video Pic: Northants Hunt Saboteurs

Video footage of the incident was captured by one of the women involved and a spokesperson for Northants Hunt Saboteurs said: “This video is clear evidence of hunt violence towards sabs as four masked men in matching jackets assault sabs with physical and verbal abuse.

“Our sabs were dragged through mud, had their faces pushed into mud and were threatened throughout.

“These ‘stewards’ also can be heard using misogynistic language towards our sabs. This attack has been reported to Leicestershire police who took statements from sabs at the scene. We await to see what action will be taken by Leicestershire Police but we would like to think that the evidence speaks for itself.”

A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: “An investigation is continuing after two women reported they had been assaulted in a field off Ashwell Road, Oakham.

“The incident happened at around 2.30pm on Saturday (6 January).

“The victims reported they had been dragged to the ground by a group of men.”

The Cottesmore Hunt has been approached for comment