An animal rights activist group published a list of "top 10 tips" on its website about how to carry out attacks on people associated with an animal testing laboratory, a jury has been told.
The sole aim of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) group was to make Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) cease business, Winchester Crown Court heard on Tuesday.
It targets secondary and tertiary companies and blackmails them to stop trading with the animal testing laboratories, the court was told.
The allegations were made as part of the prosecution’s opening statements in the trial of five people charged with conspiracy to blackmail.
Heather Nicholson, of Pond Croft in Yateley, Gerrah Selby, formally of Aldershot Road, Church Crookham, Daniel Wadham, formally of Pond Croft, Yateley, Gavin Medd-Hall, from Croydon and Trevor Holmes, from Crawley, deny conspiring together between November 15 2001 and May 2, 2007, to blackmail those companies they believe to be associates of HLS.
Prosecutor Michael Bowes QC said the group, which he says is co-founded by Ms Nicholson, published details on Bite Back magazine, a website www.directaction.info about "direct action" against associated companies.
Direct action could include criminal damage to a person’s property, being sent a hoax bomb or being publicly accused of having child pornography, the court heard.
The prosecution claims that in 2005 SHAC left a detailed message of an attack on UPS employee Vicky McSloy on the bite-back website.
Mr Bowes showed the jury pictures of slashed tyres on Ms McSloy’s vehicle and graffiti sprayed across it which said "UPS+HLS=SCUM".
The jury was told that under the report of the attack SHAC, which used the badge ALF-Animal Liberation Front, left a list of advice on how to carry out such an attack.
The court heard that the advice said: "It is always good to go after the directors [but] any employees are legitimate targets. Attacks against them puts pressure on the company as a whole."
Listed in the top ten tips was advise about slashing tyres with a sharp screwdriver, being careful not to leave fingerprints and carrying out attacks in dark, windy or rainy conditions as they provide "excellent cover", Mr Bowes said.
Activists were advised not to "hang around to admire their handiwork", leave the "getaway car" down the road and alter their car number plate to avoid detection, the court heard.
Mr Bowes described the level of detail in the message as "amazing".
The trial continues.
For pictures of acts the prosecution is claiming the group carried out, see our related article on the right 'Woman 'driving force' behind animal activists, court told.'