A saboteur who assaulted three hunt supporters has been handed a 12-month community order and ordered to pay compensation to her victims.
Megan Thornbury, 36, of Newnham on Seven, Glos, was found guilty of three charges of assault by beating on 15 December.
Two of the victims were teenagers.
She was sentenced at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on Monday (4 January).
As well as the year-long order, which consists of 80 hours of unpaid work, Thornbury must also pay £50 compensation to each of her victims, a £60 victim surcharge and £200 court costs.
“I thought that she got off quite lightly,” one of the victims told H&H.
Thornbury worked as a nursery nurse prior to the incident.
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The assault, that the victim described as “horrific at the time”, was filmed and the victim added she would “definitely” encourage hunts to use recording equipment.
“I think the way that [saboteurs] conduct themselves is not acceptable,” she said.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, described it as a “nasty attack” by someone who, as a nursery nurse, “should have known better”.
“However it is not a surprise,” he said.
“There are regular incidents of violence from hunt saboteurs on hunt staff and supporters going about their lawful business but these attacks often go unpunished because many ‘sabs’ wear balaclavas so they cannot be identified.
“We urge hunts to video all violent incidents at hunt meets and, as in this case, take that evidence to the police.”