SHAC Letter from Heather Nicholson - serving 11 years for animal rescue.

Heather Nicholson is serving 11 years for animal rescue. She has written a letter. See below.

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your cards. It's very kind of you to start a Free Heather Campaign but there's no need. I can't appeal so there really is noting to be achieved. I would rather people concentrate on the animal campaigns as I promise I'm fine. I quite like it here and I'm not suffering in comparison. I will be released in Nov 2012 no matter what and not before but I will get town and weekends out in 2010 so it's not bad.

Love Heather.

For more info and contact details for SHAC prisoners see www.shac.net

Heather's friends
e-mail: info@shac.net
Homepage: http://www.shac.net/

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Why can't she appeal?

10.03.2009 19:15

Why not - it's a fundamental right!

Why?

Confused

10.03.2009 21:57

It's a bit confusing that the title says she is serving 11 years yet in the message it says she will be out in 2012 meaning 3 years?

explanation

11.03.2009 00:09

heather was on remand since May 2007 (sentenced In 2009). Prisoners serve half their sentences

explainer

RE: confused

11.03.2009 00:20

She's been on remand in prison since the raids in May 2007 so that's nearly 2 years she's been inside. This counts towards the whole sentence. On good behaviour you can expect to be out in half your sentence on license so she should be out after 5 1/2 years. So that means she only has to serve just over another 3 1/2 years before she can be released.

In reply to the other comment... I'm not entirely sure. I think she can appeal her sentence. Maybe she just doesn't want to - the trial would have been tiring enough. She might feel better now it's over to just accept what she got, concentrate on getting a qualification, do some gardening or reading or whatever and get out in Nov 2012...

Clarify

You can't appeal when you plead Guilty

11.03.2009 09:00

But she could appeal the term BUT she would ahve to go infornt of the same Judge!

Ice Scream in a Beagle suit

Heather didn't plead guilty

11.03.2009 20:53

Heather didn't plead guilty, that was just Gregg, Natasha and Dan.

So I'm not sure why she can't legally appeal against both conviction and sentence.

When the law is such a farce and owned by the rich, maybe it's not worth bothering.

anon

Misleading to say she is serving time for "animal rescue"

12.03.2009 00:43

I know Heather well and am a big supporter but I think it is a bit misleading to say she is serving time for "animal rescue". Maybe you could argue it was indirectly, but I think it gives people the wrong impression, and might put people off liberating animals if they think they would get 11 years.

She is in prison for helping run the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences, and for crimes undertaken by other people unknown to her, such as criminal damage and threatening behaviour. Technically the bullshit charge of conspiracy to blackmail.

I think a more accurate description would be "serving 11 years for campaigning against Huntingdon Life Sciences" or "serving 11 years for anti-vivisection campaigning"

vegan