Animal rights activist back in court over land trespass

It was one of his own videos which helped convict the self-styled "wildlife warrior" at Consett magistrates' court.

Magistrates watched a video tape of Mr Gill shout a string of expletives at men shooting birds and animals as he illegally tramped over farmland, near Castleside, in Consett.

Mr Gill, 53, of Front Street Castleside, who has been jailed four times for non- payment of fines, was given a conditional discharge and fined £55 costs after he pleaded guilty to aggravated trespass at a farm near Castleside.

Court proceedings had to be halted as Mr Gill, a former beater for hunts and former probationary police officer, shouted out his protests against prosecuting solicitor Paul Gibson.

Unemployed Mr Gill, who had earlier delayed the court case as he made up his mind how to plead, said he could not accept Mr Gibson's version of events.

His solicitor, Kevin Tomlinson, explained to magistrates that his client had been beaten up in his own home by three men with baseball bats just two weeks previously and he had been adversely affected.

After the playing of the video, which was seized by police at the time of the arrest, Mr Tomlinson said his client took his actions as a result of genuinely-held beliefs.

He said: "Mr Gill was himself once involved in shooting as a beater. As a consequence of losing one of his own dogs, he came to the view that those sort of activities were not appropriate any longer."

He had also been charged with resisting arrest but that charge was dropped. An award of £5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the three men who beat him up in his own home has been offered.

Mr Gill has now had four convictions for aggravated trespass, one for a public order offence, three breaches of the peace, one assault, one of affray and six for criminal damage.

He will appear again in front of Consett magistrates to face a fresh charge of criminal damage on November 15.