Scientist jailed for animal rights attacks

http://www.arkangelweb.org/international/uk/20060922scientistjailed.php

*** Αγγλικά:

A cancer research scientist who did not experiment on animals has been sentenced to three years for taking direct action against companies linked to the animal testing firm Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Joseph HarrisJoseph Harris, 26, a doctor of molecular biology at Nottingham University, was the first person to be convicted under the new animal rights extremism legislation in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

Northampton crown court heard that Mr, Harris believed that animal experiments caused unjustified suffering. Mr Harris is a published author of medical research into gastro-intestinal cancer. The court was told: He attacked three companies which had contracts with Huntingdon Life Sciences. The scientist and animal rights activist pleaded guilty last month to three counts of interfering with a contractual relationship so as to hurt an animal research organisation, under the Serious and Organised Crime Act.

In December 2005 and January this year Mr. Harris broke into three companies in Nottingham, Bicester and Northampton, allegedly causing more than £25,000 of damage. It is believed that Mr. Harris was prosecuted under the new laws as it allows the courts to hand down more draconian sentences rather than using the existing laws available to judges, who would just consider the case on its merits rather than bringing a political slant to the case.

Grace Ononiwu, Chief Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Northamptonshire commented: "This is the first time a person has been convicted under Section 145 of the Serious Organised Crime & Policing Act 2005 which introduced an offence of 'interference with contractual and similar relationships with the intention of harming an animal research organisation'. The charge requires the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions and carries a maximum sentence of 5 years and/or an unlimited fine."

"This case shows how seriously the authorities take extremism. The Government has given us the legislation, the police and CPS have worked together to build the case and the court has used its powers to punish the offender and protect the community. The new legislation allowed the CPS to bring a charge which took account of the wider campaign of fear and intimidation that the specific offences were part of."

It is interesting to note that the maximum sentence for anyone abusing or killing animals no matter how horrible the crime is only 6 months, and this is seldom if ever handed down to a convicted person.

A spokesperson for the SPEAK campaign commented that: "there appears to be one law for the vivisectors and another law for everyone else!" The spokesperson was referring to a famous case of an Oxford University professor who was investigated by the police in November 2004 for cruelty to a monkey he was experimenting on. Despite overwhelming evidence against the professor, he was not prosecuted.

SPEAK had received information from a contact they have in the CPS that the investigation by Thames Valley Police and the subsequent failure of the CPS to bring a prosecution against the professor was nothing more than an elaborate cover up from the moment Thames Valley Police investigated the incident to the inaction of the CPS. A deliberate attempt was made by all investigating bodies to hide the facts. The SPEAK contact then detailed the fact that senior Oxford University officials used their influence with both Thames Valley Police and the CPS to thwart any prosecution because of the damage it would cause to the university. It is worth bearing in mind that two key individuals (that we cannot name for legal reasons) are also on the board of Thames Valley Police and there are strong suspicions in some quarters that the pair are directly influencing the policy of Thames Valley Police.

Addressing Joe Harris, the Judge Ian Alexander said: "I am fully aware that your conviction and possibly the sentence I impose will seriously damage what was a very promising career. It may well be that your future inability to continue your research into gastro-intestinal cancer will be a great loss to those who suffer that disease," after which he handed down the 3 year jail sentence to him!

*** ελληνικά (περίληψη)

Eπιστήμονας μοριακής βιολογίας που αρνιόταν να κάνει πειράματα σε ζώα καταδικάστηκε σε 3 χρόνια φυλάκισης για ενέργειες άμεσης δράσης ενάντια σε εταιρίες που σχετίζονται με πειράματα σε ζώα. Ο Joseph Harris 26 ετών, δρ. μοριακής βιολογίας στο πανεπιστήμιο του Νότιγχαμ, είναι ο πρώτος άνθρωπος που καταδικάζεται με την νέα νομοθεσία περί "εξτρεμισμού των δικαιωμάτων των ζώων" του νόμου Κύριου Οργανωμένου Εγκλήματος και Αστυνομικής Δράσης του 2005.

Στο δικαστήριο του Northampton ο Harris δήλωσε ότι τα πειράματα κάνουν τα ζώα να υποφέρουν άδικα. Κατηγορήθηκε για επιθέσεις σε 3 εταιρίες που είχαν συμβόλαια με τη Huntingdon Life Sciences προκαλόντας ζημιές άνω των 25,000 στερλίνων. Δήλωσε ένοχος στις κατηγορίες. Φαίνεται πως η δίκη του εισάγει μια νέα εποχή νομοθετικής και δικαστικής καταστολής.