n Saturday Feb 24th the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London is hosting an event called the Gerald McClellan Benefit Evening. McClellan is a disabled American ex-boxer left with brain damage after his fight with Nigel Benn 10 years ago - he's partially paralysed, totally blind, & virtually deaf. Top sports stars & celebrities are attending this high-profile fundraising evening for him.

McClellan bred, trained & fought pitbulls all his adult life. 'Training' consisted of him getting dogs, cats & other animals from pet shops & rescue centres & throwing them in with his pitbulls, which he claimed needed to taste blood & kill every day.

The 'rescued' dogs had their muzzles taped shut so they couldn't defend themselves & therefore injure his valuable pitbulls; they also had their paws tied together. Then McClellan would set one of his dogs on them as they lay there defenceless & terrified, unable to get up or run away, unable to cower away from the ferocious attack, unable even to yelp.

Appallingly, McClellan also used to video himself carrying out these atrocities - he enjoyed what he was doing so much that he got actual pleasure from watching it back later on - he called it 'entertainment'. He used to watch the tapes in the dressing room before a fight too, to 'get his blood up'.

Tellingly, his cousin said of him: "Gerald likes killin' things." He also described McClellan as: "A violent, violent, violent, violent, violent man." Scary.

This is the man whom top sports stars & celebrities are going to honour & fawn over on February 24th, with all the Press watching. They're going to hold him up as a hero. Give him a standing ovation. Talk about his dignity and courage. His own website describes him as a 'gallant & noble man' - anyone else feel like vomiting?

I've written to all the papers & got nowhere - no one wants to touch this story, probably because of his disabilities. To me his current health is irrelevant: he's still the same man who tortured & terrified animals until they were dead, still the same man who did it over & over again. Still the same man who videotaped it because he liked watching defenceless animals being torn to pieces while all they could do was squirm in agony & whine in terror.

The Press haven't done anything, nor have other animal welfare groups I've contacted. I'm running out of options. I'm stuck up here in Huddersfield & feel so frustrated. I want something the media will take interest in - I suggested a Name & Shame campaign, but they didn't even go for that. So: are there any groups in London who could organise a demonstration outside the Grosvenor on the benefit night? Most of the people going know about McClellan's past: by attending the event they're condoning his actions & to me should be called to account for that - they're condoning the dog-fights, the animals taken from pet shops and rescue centres thinking they'd got a kind new home, the appalling restraining of the dogs so callously used as 'sparring' for the pitbulls. There are even rumours that he set his dogs on a litter of puppies.

 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0%2C6903%2C583541%2C00.html - for more details about him.

www.geraldmcclellan.co.uk - contains a constantly updated guest list.

I am totally contactable if anyone wants to PM me about this issue.

If a demo can't be organised, please could as many people as possible write to the Grosvenor House Hotel complaining about the event? Here are a few addresses you might feel like emailing:

 mayor@london.gov.uk - Ken Livingstone is trumpeting his Animal Welfare Framework: get him to make it valid!

 mirrornews@mirror.co.uk
 talkback@the-sun.co.uk
 news.desk@express.co.uk
 news@dailymail.co.uk
 peoplenews@mgn.co.uk

 feedback.thebill@thebill.com - cast members on the guest list

 claude.abrams@boxingnewsonline.net (put 'Seconds Out' in subject box)

 richard.caborn@culture.gsi.gov.uk - Labour sports secretary

The Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, W1K 7TN


Sorry this is such a long post but I can't tell you how strongly I feel about this. My Dad's spreading the word throughout the Manchester boxing scene & has a lot of respected people on his side, but we can't seem to get anything actually done. We want the event cancelled: McClellan can do what he wants - we just don't want to see him being honoured & feted & no one saying anything about what he's really like.

Cancelled would be great. But to be honest, a demonstration would be even better because it would publicise the whole thing.

Nicky.