Businesses targeted by an animal rights activism group were told their details would be published on the internet if they did not stop trading with Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS), a jury has heard.

Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) used “unwarranted demands with menaces” to get firms they believed associated with the animal testing laboratory to stop doing business with them, Winchester Crown Court heard this week.

SHAC activists Heather Nicholson, of Pond Croft in Yateley, Gerrah Selby, formerly of Aldershot Road, Church Crookham, Daniel Wadham, formerly of Pond Croft, Yateley, Gavin Medd-Hall, from Croydon, and Trevor Holmes, from Crawley, West Sussex, deny conspiring between November 15, 2001 and May 2, 2007, to blackmail those companies they believed to be associates of HLS.

The prosecution claimed the defendants would publish details of the associated firms on its website and as a result they would be targets for “direct action”.

The action would only stop when a targeted firm put out a “capitulation statement” to SHAC saying they would no longer trade with HLS, the court was told

Jurors were shown a video of SHAC activists demonstrating at a plastics company in July 2003 (click on the video screen to see the footage).

Campaigners could be seen accusing the firm of making dissection boards for HLS and warning employees they would be bombarded with e-mails.

One woman said: “This is the first of many demonstrations. Make a statement saying you will cease doing business with HLS and any demonstration will be stopped.”

Later she can be heard saying: “[HLS] is a vile company and it’s disgusting you have anything to do with them.

“We will target your families and let them know what sort of company you are. All you need to do is make a statement.”

Prosecutor Michael Bowes QC said the demonstration was not freedom of expression, which people are entitled to, but was a case of making “unwarranted demands with menaces”.

To see more video shown to the court, click on 'Jury hears animal activists' 'top 10 tips' on how to attack lab staff'

For letters and photographs shown to the court earlier this week, see 'Woman 'driving force' for animal activists, court told'