Animal Rising co-founder among 24 charged with public nuisance following 2023 Grand National protests

Two dozen people have been charged by police in connection with the animal rights protests before last year’s Grand National, including five individuals who are alleged to have got on to the track at Aintree.

Protesters caused a 14-minute delay to the Grand National in 2023 with people attempting to glue themselves to the fences and others trying to climb perimeter fences to enter the track in the minutes before the scheduled off-time.

The charges are the first involving the attempts to stop the Grand National taking place. Ten people had been charged with wilful obstruction of a public highway after blocking roads close to Aintree, with two protesters fined in May.

Police have charged Edward Allnutt, Michelle Farnham, Robert Gordon, Alistair Stewart and Daniel Kidby, the co-founder of protest group Animal Rising, with intentional/reckless public nuisance having been accused of getting on to the racecourse.

A further 19 people, aged between 21 and 57, have also been charged with intentional/reckless public nuisance for allegedly attempting to climb fences to get into the track before the race.

Merseyside Police have now charged a total of 58 people in relation to the Grand National protests. The 24 people charged with intentional/reckless public nuisance have been bailed to appear at South Sefton Magistrates’ Court in Liverpool on either Wednesday or on November 6.

As well as attempting to stop the Grand National, animal rights protesters also tried to stop the Derby at Epsom taking place last year.

Ben Newman, who ran on to the course after the Classic started, received a suspended jail sentence, 80 hours of unpaid community work and had to pay towards Jockey Club costs, having breached a High Court injunction put in place to prevent any trespasser attempting to halt the racing.

In July this year, the Jockey Club was successful in extending its injunction at Epsom for five years, with anyone breaching the ruling facing a fine or imprisonment for contempt of court.

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