[On Friday] Judge JeanPaul Decoste declared the defendants innocent in the case against five seal hunt observers, including UK citizen Mark Glover. This verdict has been anticipated since the case first began in October 2007.

"The evidence showed without a doubt that my clients were innocent and I thank Judge Decoste for seeing through the Crown’s illogical arguments to the contrary and finding them innocent," said Clayton Ruby, lawyer for the accused.

In March of 2006, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Department of Fisheries and Oceans officer Jean-Francois Sylvestre charged the five defendants -Mark Glover of Respect for Animals and Humane Society International, Canadians Rebecca Aldworth and Andrew Plumbly and Americans Chad Sisneros and Pierre Grzybowski all with Humane Society of the United States - with violating a condition of their observation licenses which requires they remain at least 10m from sealing activity. The defendants were in the Gulf of St. Lawrence documenting the commercial seal hunt to bring the shocking images of baby seals being clubbed, shot and even being skinned alive to the world.

The defense case rested heavily on the video records of four separate parties: a Canadian government ship, an independent reporter and two of the accused which scientifically showed that the defendants were at least 19.6m from sealing activity at the time of the incident. Judge Decoste refused to hear the experts who were called by the defense, but nonetheless found, after viewing the tapes himself, that the Crown case had not been proved.

"This was not only a victory for my clients but for the entire Canadian justice system," continued Ruby. "Today’s ruling proves what we have been saying all along. These charges should never have been brought in the first place and were a huge waste of taxpayer money, charitable funds and judicial resources. Our presence documenting this cruel hunt of baby seals, keeps the pressure of world criticism on Canada and enables us to urge the rest of the world to refuse seal products."

This ruling comes at a time when the European Union is considering a ban on seal imports including those from the Canadian hunt.