Name: Lynn Sawyer
Location: Evesham, Worcestershire
Affiliations: Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC), Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs Group, Vale Wildlife Centre
Huntingdon Life Sciences Attacks: Sawyer is a veteran who has helped orchestrate a number of criminal campaigns over the last twenty years. In 1999, she was one of the instigators of the Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), which lasted until 2014.
SHAC's crusade was described by one judge as a "ruthless and sustained campaign" against the HLS scientists, who were carrying out life-saving research at the institute in Cambridgeshire. This included false allegations of child abuse, sending hoax bombs, and delivering sanitary towels allegedly contaminated with the AIDS virus to traumatise staff.
Several of the extremists involved in SHAC ended up serving jail time. Although the campaign was founded by fellow extremist Greg Avery, along with his wife and (separate) girlfriend, SHAC was officially registered to Sawyer’s house in Evesham, Worcestershire.
So violent was the campaign that Sawyer and her team instigated, it included planting fake and real explosive devises into the cars of scientists. Other vehicles were set on fire and windows were smashed. In one instance HLS managing director Brian Cass was severely beaten outside his home by three masked extremists using axe handles. In a separate attack, the company’s marketing director Andrew Gray was attacked with a chemical spray to his eyes and beaten.
Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs: Sawyer, who has multiple criminal convictions, herself, is thought to have picked up many of the tactics employed by SHAC to use in her management of the Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs Group, which she set up in 2012.
Ironically, Sawyer was a vocal supporter of fox hunting 25 years ago. She now also runs the Gloucestershire Badger Office, which provides resources for those looking to undermine the government's badger cull aimed at preventing the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Sawyer is thought to be currently renting out her property in Evesham whilst living rent free at the Vale Wildlife Centre in Tewkesbury, a charity which is said to be making more than £55,000 a month.
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