Activists facing murder charges over suicidal hunter's stunt

A fox-hunt supporter has been killed by suicidally running at an anti-hunt gyrocopter - and two activists could face murder charges as a result!

The mainstream media is awash with stories of a hunt supporter who has died apparently while confronting a gyrocopter. Activists had been using the copter to monitor hunts and the hunt follower appears to have run on the runway while it was taxiing (moving along the ground) - a very dangerous thing to do. Yet police have arrested the activists concerned for "murder".

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article5877904.ece

It's rather implausible that someone could murder someone with a gyrocopter even if they wanted to... on the other hand, running in front of a moving aircraft is not exactly smart!

(Notice on the other hand that nobody got charged over the death of Jill Phipps, in far more suspicious circumstances)

hmmm

Comments

Hide the following 20 comments

All on video

10.03.2009 13:03

It would appear that the incident was being filmed by both 'sides' so there should be no issues.

It was an intial view of these films that led to the arrests.

Budgie

And

10.03.2009 13:21

Neither was Alan Summerskill arrested for killing Mike Hill, Nor Tony Ball for killing Tom Worby age 15 who laid dying with some members of the Cambridgeshire hunt laughing and ignoring sabs pleas for help, maybe as nurse (but I think all of us think alike) I could not leave anyone bleeding to death and not do anything let alone find it amusing. It seems to be a case of if an animal rights activist dies violently "oops its an accident", if a hunt supporter dies "murder". Terrible tragedy and deplorably it would appear from a couple of press reports the hacks have even doorstepped the widow!
I just hope that the 2 arrested will be out soon, poor sods will be emotionally scarred for life. No doubt this will be made a meal of by NETCU and the press, some very interesting comments follow the Times article.

Lynn Sawyer

hut claimed it was an accident initially

10.03.2009 13:41

Even the hunt initially claimed it was an accident:

"Sam Butler, of the Warwickshire Hunt, said a gyrocopter had recently been following hunts in the area. ..... Mr Butler said it was a "tragic but fatal accident", but he did not know why an aircraft had been in the area over the last few weeks. "

From:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7933734.stm

unbiased

tricky

10.03.2009 15:16

Unless your laws are very different than ours in this regard, "accidents" can indeed be murder depending on what was going on at the time.

Here in the States there is no such thing as an accident in the course of a felony. In other words, if fleeing bank robbers accidentally run their car into another -- even if under other circumstances the other car would have been judged "at fault" -- then murder charges can be brought.

The usual criteria whether they would be brought in practice would depend on "proximate cause" considerations. Thus if a bank patron in the bank at the time of the robbery dropped dead of a heart attack, could be murder charges. But a spectator across the street probably not.

PLEASE -- this is not intended as a comment on the merits of the actual case in question about which I know nothing. Just a comment on some peculiarities of the legal system. To give a concrete example (and remember, I am NOT saying anything like this applies here) were that a stolen gyrocopter (therefor, in the commission of a felony) then yes, you can get murder charges even if the victim ran into it. At least that's the way it works here.

MDN

Anyone file a complaint with the Civil Aviation Authority about this numbskull?

10.03.2009 15:21

Surely if someone wanders along the side of a working airport runway, it should be noted as a dangerous act, to actually approach a taxi-ing (apparently) aircraft is obviously stupid. Anyone else intend to file a complaint with the CAA over the idiotic, dangerous actions of Mr Morse?

Flyboy

we're not in America...

10.03.2009 16:22

No, that's just America.

There can't be "accident + murder" here - America's "death in course of felony = murder" thing is an anomaly of a quasi-medieval legal system. "Accident" as in no intent to kill would at most be an offence of negligence, dangerous driving etc. "Accident" in the more dubious sense of e.g. hitting someone without meaning to kill them, would be "manslaughter" (roughly the same as the lowest class of homicide in America). There are rare cases of people being charged with murder because one of a group killed someone, and the group had gone prepared to kill - but in theory it's necessary to prove that they knew someone might get killed (e.g. if one of a gang carries a gun and the others plausibly claim they don't know the person has it, it wouldn't be covered).

"Felony" = serious crime in US law. Britain does not have a distinction between felonies and misdemeanours (there used to be one between arrestable and nonarrestable but it's been abolished). In any case, even if the hunters claim there was a minor crime committed (flying below 500 feet or harassing them or whatever), I doubt anything the activists were doing would count as a felony by American standards.

America's system leads to some pretty absurd extremities... for example, it's mostly legal to murder someone who is committing a crime in America, or even fleeing after a crime... I even remember a case where charges weren't brought for a civilian (non-police) shooting dead a graffiti artist... or, someone committing a relatively minor crime who is attacked with lethal force and kills in self-defence would be charged with murder... I have never heard about such things anywhere except America. Not sure what bizarre sense of "justice" it stems from... I'm guessing it's a frontier mentality, "us and them" thing where everyone on the far side of the law is equally guilty... it defies ideas such as proportionality, mens rea, etc.

Not to say that Britain doesn't have its own absurdities, many of them recent, but a few archaic ("conspiracy" being the most famous: historically there hasn't been any upper limit on the sentence for conspiracy, so in theory if someone shares a packet of stolen cigarettes they could be jailed for life - and it is still common for "conspiracy" to be used to bring otherwise non-viable cases, and to draw sentences well in excess over the crime one supposedly "conspired" to commit).

not American

Hummmm....sort of true.

10.03.2009 19:13

No the US system of accident becoming murder doesn't apply here but if for instance unlawful force is used and as an unintended result somebody dies, that becomes manslaughter.

As far as conspiracy is concerned you will be aware that it is in fact limited to the penalties resulting from the substantive charge. Thus conspiracy to Blackmail is limited to 14 years!

Not Amercian either

Aggravated trespass

10.03.2009 19:34

Maybe the police should charge his wife with aggravated trespass. Afterall she was with him trespassing on a runway trying to prevent lawful activity (re-fueling of a auto-gyro).

Judge Dredd

oink

10.03.2009 20:30

About as likely as them charging themselves with causing a public nuisance by smelling of bacon I'm afraid :-(

There must've been a law change with conspiracy, it certainly used to be indefinite, see:

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1975/feb/25/conspiracy-amendment
I'm guessing the change was the doing of the European Court.

The pro-hunters on the Times thread (and who knows where else) are making very strange arguments, trying to make it an issue about hunters being "harassed" instead of about the guy (one of their own) dying... saying it shows that hunt monitors "need to be reined in", rather than that hunters need to be more careful when running out in front of moving aircraft.

huntcunt

typical

10.03.2009 21:10

I know nothing about this case, but my experience as a hunt saboteur would suggest that this man has approached the monitors to have a confrontation. It's clear that hunts are blatantly hunting, and admiting this. They use supporters or even stewards to confront monitors to stop them gaining any evidence of illegal hunting. Have a look at a picture of this guy - he looks like a right brusier. He's gone over to hassle these monitor and has been a victim of the worse sort of accident imaginable. The police routinely side with the hunt and take no interest in any allegation against those illegally hunting. I doubt they are happy now. I am just glad it is not a hunt monitor or saboteur whose's lying in the moturary now.

Dave

Lesson Number 1

10.03.2009 21:34

Don`t approach aircraft during take off and landing as doing so may seriously damage your health!!

If you know of a hunt scum village idiot, please ensure you explain the above so he/she fully understands!!

Thanks,

Airport Safety Inspector

ATC

11.03.2009 00:24

We all knew that privatising air traffic control was a bad idea.... but we were proved wrong!

Krop

Latest

11.03.2009 10:20

Dave, what are you on about, all the news reports say he was a lovely wonderful person ;-)

Latest news btw: police have been given more time to interrogate the accused. Not sure whether to interpret this as "they've got fuck all but want to drag it out" or "they're buying time to come up with some crap story". If they had a solid case for murder charges they'd have charged already - it's not like they don't know who was flying the thing.

huntcunt

Unusual to get extra time....

11.03.2009 10:41

It's unusual to get extra time to interview without either a witness or other information. They can somtimes get permision if the suspect has a history of offending.
Anybody know if any of this applies?

Concerned

just a thought

11.03.2009 11:06

i don't know what that hunt are like, but if they've got a history of violence, maybe it would be a good idea to have a look for any footage of the guy, in less than hounorable circumstances. if this does go to trial, it could help show that his intentions where not as honourable as they sound.
BUT if their was any footage, it should be kept private and confidential, so's not to stur up trouble(sabbs on the ground would suffer if it was released), disrespect his family and so as to not breach laws regarding data protection, and so the evidence can still be used in court.

sab

Extra Time

11.03.2009 17:00

Its not that unusual to get extra time, especially which serious charges, as far as I know they can ask a senior officer for an extra 12 hours, then they can go to court and ask for an extra 36 hours.But at that point they need to be charged or released.

Smash The Hunt!

Vegan Anarchist

Exactly Wrong!

11.03.2009 21:45

A man has been charged with the murder of hunt supporter Trevor Morse who was killed in a collision with a gyrocopter.

Gyrocopter

The scene of the collision at Long Marston airfield, Warwickshire

Warwickshire Police said the man would appear before Nuneaton Magistrates Court tomorrow accused of killing the 48-year-old.

Mr Morse died after he was hit by the aircraft at Long Marston airfield near Stratford-Upon-Avon as he followed a hunt on Monday afternoon.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident, which happened just after 3pm.

The second man was released on bail tonight pending further police inquiries.

A police spokesman said: "Two men were arrested at the scene and have been in custody at Leamington Spa police station.

"One man has tonight been charged with murder.

"The second man has been released on police bail pending further inquiries."

A post-mortem examination carried out at the University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire revealed that Mr Morse died as a result of severe head injuries.

Hunt master Sam Butler paid tribute to Mr Morse, who was from Alderminster, near Stratford.

"He was a very great supporter, a passionate believer in country sports and hunting and the tribute I pay is not only to him but to his family," he said.

Long Marston airfield, an RAF base between 1941 and 1954, is now home to the Avon Microlight club, Freedom Sports Aviation, and the Shakespeare County Raceway Dragstrip.

The site is also well-known for dance festival Global Gathering and the Bulldog Bash motorbike show

Gyro

Well that is unbelievable

11.03.2009 22:59

Well that is unbelievable. Why the hell would someone murder someone with a gyrocopter when cameras are rolling?

This sounds like the investigating cop is hunt scum themselves, or has been getting funny handshakes.

I predict the charges will be quietly dropped later once the story has calmed down.

Funny how all the hunt scum who murdered anti-hunt people in the past were never even arrested, let alone charged. The justice system in this country is an absolute joke. Of course I did know that already, but this really takes the piss.

What's the betting that the judges will be bloodsports enthusiasts too?

Good that one person has been released without charge though.

oldsab

Everyone, bite your tongue

12.03.2009 00:06

"What's the betting that the judges will be bloodsports enthusiasts too? "

Since it would be a jury trial then it is perhaps more relevant to ask how many of twelve semi-random local residents will be willing to convict through prejudice. That sort of prejudice can be defused here by calm comments. Someone has just died, and if that was someone who agreed with us then we would be mourning them. The hunt-sabs I used to know were too caring and smart to comment here now.

I hate to break it down so simplistically, but either the police have video evidence that the gyrocopter was driven at a protestor, or someone has just been falsely charged with murder over a self-inflicted fatal injury.

Predictions don't help anyone. Bite your tongue for a day or two. Find out offline.

orc

How were the Warwickshire hunt hunting legally?

14.03.2009 12:18

Morse was the owl man; so how were the Warwickshire hunting legally that day? With Morse stalked the gyrocopter and following it for some 12 miles, who was handling the bird?

Why did Morse feel the need to trespass on the private airport land and entre the runway? It's madness to try and stop a gyrocopter taking off.

Man v's gyrocopter; well there is no contest. Silly man!

Gyrocopter lover