Four animal rights activists have been found guilty of orchestrating a blackmail campaign against firms they believed to be working with an animal testing laboratory.

Those convicted on Tuesday were: Heather Nicholson, 41, formerly of Pond Croft, Yateley (now of Tanhouse Lane, Wokingham); Daniel Wadham, 21, formerly of Pond Croft, Yateley (now of Brynmair Road, Aberdare, Wales); Gerrah Selby, 20, of Aldershot Road, Church Crookham; and Gavin Medd-Hall, from Selwood Road, Croydon.

They were all part of the animal rights group Stop Huntingdon Life Sciences (SHAC).

Click here to read all Get Hampshire's previous stories on the case and to see video evidence from the trial.

SHAC was formed in 1999 and its sole purpose was to shut down Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).

All four defendants denied conspiring between November 15, 2001 and May 2, 2007 to blackmail those companies they believed to be associates of HLS.

However, a jury of seven men and five women found them guilty at Winchester Crown Court following a 10-week trial.

A fifth defendant, Trevor Holmes, from Newcastle, was cleared of the charge.

Throughout the trial, the jury was told that SHAC used "unwarranted demands with menaces" to force firms to stop doing business with HLS.

The group carried out bomb hoaxes, criminal damage and threatening phone calls, and also claimed company employees were paedophiles.

Police said the convictions had brought an end to one of the country's biggest ever animal rights extremism trials.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Robbins from Kent Police, who led the investigation, said: "We are very satisfied with the outcome of this prosecution.

“This conspiracy to blackmail involved the systematic and relentless intimidation of individuals and their companies, whom the defendants suspected of being involved with Huntingdon Life Sciences.  

“The conspiracy ran for six years, until it was stopped by the arrests on May 1, 2007.

“I would like to pay tribute to the many victims who have had to carry on their lawful business whilst living through this criminal campaign, some over many years. 

“The public should be aware that money donated in good faith to Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty was in fact being used to finance this criminal conduct."

Three other people pleaded guilty on July 30. They were Daniel Amos, 22, of Aldershot Road, Church Crookham, and Greg and Natasha Avery, aged 41 and 39, both from Little Moorcote, Lower Common, Eversley.

The trial heard that Little Moorcote was the base for SHAC's operations.

All seven people are due to be sentenced on January 19.