Three animal rights activists have been found guilty of theft after they took three lambs from the King’s Sandringham Estate.
Rosa Sharkey, Sarah Foy, both 26, and Rose Patterson, 37, appeared in Norwich Crown Court today.
The trio, who are part of the Animal Rising activist group, admitted taking the sheep, but denied charges of theft because the King “would have consented to the lambs’ rescue” due to animal welfare concerns.
However, after three hours and 48 minutes of deliberation, a jury of five men and seven women unanimously came to a guilty verdict.
The incident took place on May 24, 2023, when the activists are said to have travelled to the farm and met by a driver in a small van, before gaining access to the field by climbing over “a low electric fence.”
The driver of the van was not on trial.
After they spent the morning sitting among the flock, allowing the young animals to grow accustomed to their presence, they loaded three lambs into the vehicle and departed at approximately 8pm – some 12 hours after their arrival.
Three animal rights activists have been found guilty of theft after they took three lambs from the King’s Sandringham Estate
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INSTAGRAM: @ANIMAL.RISING
Giving evidence on Wednesday, Ms Sharkey accepted that they had taken the sheep, adding they had “no intention of giving them back”.
The activist said that the group hoped to “open [the King’s] eyes” to the “reality of sheep farming”.
“What they face in the slaughterhouse and the impact on the land are not things he would agree with,” she told the court.
The incident took place on May 24, 2023, when the activists are said to have travelled to the farm and met by a driver in a small van
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INSTAGRAM: @ANIMAL.RISING
Ms Sharkey revealed the lambs have since been transported to an animal sanctuary, though she deliberately kept the location a secret.
She explained: “I knew if I did know and I did tell them, the lambs would be taken back for slaughter.”
Aside from the whereabouts of the lamb’s new home, Ms Sharkey said the group “wanted to be open about what we had done so that the facts were out there.”
The activists claim they first attempted to speak with officers outside Windsor Castle, “but they didn’t respond to us,” prompting them to attend the police station instead.
Under cross-examination, she insisted: “It wasn’t a stunt – we rescued them so they wouldn’t be sent to slaughter.”
Prosecutor Dingle Clark was unequivocal in his closing remarks, saying the suggestion the owner would have given his blessing to the removal of the lambs was “an obvious nonsense.”
“The prosecution say this was plainly dishonest,” he said. “The reason why it was dishonest is they were taking something which didn’t belong to them.
“They had to put a door over a fence and they did it… to publicise their views.”
On Instagram following the ruling, Animal Rising wrote that their “royal rescuers” have been found guilty.
“Despite this verdict, the rescue and trial have helped put the reality of animal farming in front of the country. We know a better world is possible,” the group wrote.