12 years each for animal rights extremists

Three members of a “lunatic fringe” animal rights group were jailed for 12 years each in the UK today for their parts in a terror campaign, during which the body of an 82-year-old woman was stolen from her grave.

John Ablewhite, from Manchester, Kerry Whitburn, from Edgbaston, Birmingham, and John Smith, of Wolverhampton were each handed 12-year prison terms at Nottingham Crown Court this afternoon after they pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to blackmail the owners of a guinea pig breeding farm in Staffordshire.

A fourth defendant, Josephine Mayo, also from Edgbaston, was jailed for four years after admitting a lesser part in the six-year campaign against the Hall family, which bred the small animals for medical research purposes.

As part of the campaign against the family, the body of Mrs Hammond, 82, the mother-in-law of one of the Hall brothers, was stolen from her grave in a churchyard.

Her body was only recovered earlier this month after Smith revealed its location in nearby beauty spot in Cannock Chase to police.

The evidence which snared the three included an anatomy book containing images of a human skull and a hate-filled email obtained under American laws passed to combat the threat of al-Qaida.

Ironically, Ablewhite, Whitburn and Smith’s attention to detail and eagerness to avoid leaving a forensic trail in fact resulted in a litany of compelling evidence which forced them to plead guilty at a pre-trial hearing.

The men’s quasi-military modus operandi during their “war” against Darley Oaks Farm, and their unremitting thirst to create a climate of fear, meant they left a string of clues linking themselves to the theft of Gladys Hammond’s body, a break-in to free guinea pigs at Darley Oaks Farm, threatening letters sent to the farm’s owners, the Hall family, and an attempted firebombing.

In fact the evidence against the three and Whitburn’s lover, Mayo, began to stack up less than a week after the grave desecration when police searched Ablewhite’s then home in Larches Lane, Wolverhampton.

Officers swooped on October 14, 2004, and found a bin bag in the cellar containing documentation stolen during a break-in at Darley Oaks in 1999.

In Ablewhite’s bedroom were photos of the burglary and a simultaneous search of the loft of Smith’s home in Riches Street, Wolverhampton, found footage of the break-in on videotape.

An attempt to firebomb the home of 28-year-old Sally-Ann Hall, the daughter of John Hall, in March 2005 also led to vital clues.

A plastic petrol can with burnt cloth in the nozzle was found on her doorstep, CCTV also showed a lone figure planting the device at around 2.20am.

Two days earlier, Mayo, wearing gloves, bought a green petrol can from Gold’s Garage in Heath Hayes, near Cannock.

Enquiries revealed the can was the same make, colour and production batch as the one used to produce the makeshift bomb.

Meanwhile, detectives later found that a computer seized from Ablewhite’s home in March 2005 contained an image of Sally-Anne Hall’s home and search of Smith’s home found a sheet of car registration numbers, including Ms Hall’s, marked “SA”.

Attempts to target the cousin of John Hall’s wife, Francis Redfern, also generated pieces of the evidential patchwork which led to the convictions.

It is believed the offenders damaged three cars after tracing Mr Redfern through John and Margaret Hall’s marriage certificate, mistaking him for John Hall’s father-in-law, also called Francis Redfern.

A photo of the Redfern’s house was discovered on a computer seized from Ablewhite’s home, while a text message on a phone in Ablewhite’s rucksack listed the number plates of two of the damaged cars.

Crucially for prosecutors, the male defendants also betrayed their involvement in the desecration of the grave of Gladys Hammond.

Shortly after the desecration, the first of a series of “special knowledge” letters were sent to associates of the Hall family which referred to the possible return of Mrs Hammond’s body.

Then, in December 2004, letters written on manual type writers were sent to members of the Hall family.

They included references to the crime scene which would be known only by the offenders – and suggested Mrs Hammond’s body would be returned if the Halls closed their guinea pig breeding business.

On March 15, 2005, Detective Chief Inspector Nick Baker made a live appeal on the BBC’s Crimewatch programme, acknowledging receipt of the letters and urging the authors to prove they had Mrs Hammond’s body.

Immediately after the programme, Smith collected Ablewhite and Whitburn from their homes in the West Midlands and drove to Brakenhurst Wood in Newchurch, which is a short distance from both Darley Oaks Farm and Yoxall.

Shortly before 6am the next day, Smith’s Citroen car was stopped by Staffordshire Police.

In the car officers found a collapsible spade, headlamp, balaclava and camouflaged clothing which was wet and was later forensically linked to Ablewhite.

A specially-trained police dog tracked the scents of Ablewhite and Smith into the wood and a text message sent in the early hours of March 16 between phones later recovered from Smith’s house, said: “Flies hoverin, cld be a while – get bread n humus ur goodness!”

The three men were released on police bail and three weeks later a further set of “special knowledge” letters were sent to several addresses, including the Burton Mail, BBC Midlands Today and associates of the Halls.

The authors – claiming to be from the Animal Rights Militia – used a codeword, previously only known to themselves and police.

Ablewhite, Smith and Whitburn, along with Mayo, who had earlier been arrested regarding the device at Sally-Anne Hall’s house, were rearrested in September last year and subsequently charged with conspiracy to blackmail.

Items seized from Whitburn’s home included a pack of 50 envelopes, a manual typewriter, two books of stamps and a photocopy of an anatomy book containing images of a human skull.

It is known that Whitburn visited Birmingham Library’s medical reference section to find the images, which specifically show a skull without its lower jaw.

Detectives are certain that the image was chosen because the lower jaw of Mrs Hammond’s skull was left at the scene by the offenders, something known only to those responsible and police.

Other exhibits linked the defendants to the wider terror campaign waged against people connected to Darley Oaks and firms which traded with it.

Examinations of an Apple Mac computer taken from Smith’s home on March 16 last year initially retrieved no data.

However, following Smith’s re-arrest in September, more advanced examinations of the same computer recovered data revealing personal details of the Halls, their families, friends and employees and research of birth, marriage and death certificates.

Significantly, it included research around Mrs Hammond, her death and burial.

Officers also established that Ablewhite set up a Hotmail account on a computer at Wolverhampton City Library in May last year.

Subsequent enquiries revealed that he sent an email to animal rights activists titled “Closing Down The Halls of Newchurch”.

Through liaison with the US Embassy in London and the FBI, Staffordshire detectives were able to secure evidence from Ablewhite’s hotmail account from Microsoft.

This was done using the Patriot Act, which was introduced in the US following the 9/11 attacks to intercept terrorist activity.

Ablewhite’s email included a list of personal details of family and friends of the Halls.

It incited its recipients to cause damage and harassment through “Ten top tips for carrying out easy yet essential home visits”.

The message – which finished with the line “Good luck, the animals are counting on you” – included advice on “a range of easy methods” to attack a target, including tyre-slashing and window-smashing, how to make a quick escape and the best clothes to wear.

Det Chf Insp Baker recalled that within days of the desecration, the first letters were sent to people close to the Halls demanding closure of the business in return for Mrs Hammond’s body.

The officer added: “These were clearly written by people who knew the crime scene well and continued being posted for several months, the authors at great pains to conceal their identity.

“But, despite their meticulous planning, the offenders made several mistakes which led to their arrest.

“Ablewhite, Smith and Whitburn’s decision to drive to Brakenhurst Wood immediately after our Crimewatch appeal last year was a significant breakthrough.

“This and other compelling evidence showed that the trio were clearly involved in the removal of Mrs Hammond’s body and had intimate knowledge of the crime scene.”