Louise Murguia

Affiliations: North Dorset Sabs

Location: Sturminster Newton, Dorset

Sturminster Newton’s most infamous sabber, Louise Murguia, is no stranger to the fields—or the courtroom. A self-proclaimed “anti-farmer vegan anarchist,” Murguia shot to notoriety after stealing a lamb from a field, dressing it in a nappy, and attempting to raise it in her bedroom like a baby.

Her homemade childcare routine (which included shampooing the lamb and feeding it cow’s milk) nearly killed the animal. Police found it malnourished, half the weight it should’ve been, and in desperate need of veterinary care. However, Murguia stood by her methods, writing online: “I love and respect animals.” Just not enough to call a vet.

The lamb’s owner, Mr Ludwell of Hile Farm, had planned to collect two orphaned lambs for hand-rearing the next morning. When he returned with his wife and children, only one remained. Assuming the other had been taken by a fox, he was stunned to later learn it had been abducted by a nappy-wielding sab. “I was relieved it was alive, but shocked by its poor condition,” he told the court. “It’s sibling was nearly double the size.”

Murguia was handed a 12-month community order, including alcohol treatment—perhaps unsurprising, given her long-standing record. Between 2015 and 2019, she racked up charges including assault, racially aggravated harassment, and breaching bail conditions. At one point, she even assaulted a police officer. Most sentences came with an alcohol treatment order—who knew sabbing was such thirsty work?

Murguia’s not alone in turning activism into a criminal record.

Gemma Barnes, based in Norwich, has also blurred the line between compassion and crime. On 11 April 2023, Barnes proudly posted pictures of herself with "liberated" lambs – which prosecutors claimed were actually stolen. She refused to say where they came from, or where they ended up. The court was told that taking them from their mothers would have caused severe distress and ironically, this alleged act of compassion earned her a stint behind bars.

Barnes didn’t stay quiet for long. Minutes after getting bail on 23 May 2023, she was back protesting at the Norwich Livestock Market—this time allegedly harassing police officers. According to prosecutors, she and fellow activist Elenor Kenny filmed officers and plastered the footage all over social media.

Barnes also starred in the now-infamous Animal Rebellion milk-pouring protests, where she emptied milk over the meat counter at Marks & Spencer in Norwich. She walked away with a conditional discharge for criminal damage. Most colourful of all, she was accused of contempt of court after allegedly calling a prosecution barrister an “a***hole” in the corridor at Norwich Crown Court.