Rutland man acquitted of assaulting hunt saboteur

Sam Jones appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Thursday

A man has been acquitted of assaulting a hunt saboteur who was struck by a horse in Rutland.

Sam Jones was charged with assault following the incident in Whissendine on 11 February.

The 34-year-old had also faced a separate charge of illegally hunting a wild mammal with a dog, but that was dropped in September.

Mr Jones was found not guilty of assault at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

The assault was alleged to have happened during the Cottesmore Hunt, while Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs were filming participants.

The illegal hunting charge against Mr Jones, of Cottesmore Road, Ashwell, near Oakham, related to an incident in Loddington on 18 February.