The trial for the six animal rights activists who, on the 3rd of April 2024, occupied the roof of Cranswick’s slaughterhouse in Watton, Norfolk, UK, to highlight the reality of gas chambers for pigs in the UK, has now begun – but has been adjourned until December. The activists, Joey Carbstrong (aka Joseph Armstrong), Karl Baker, Jacob Ball, Amelia Fishlock, Douglas Maw and Calvin Tasker, were charged with “Aggravated Trespass”.
The activists appeared at Norwich Magistrates Court on the 27th of March 2025 to begin the trial, but the judge adjourned to allow time for both prosecution and defence to acquire new expert testimonies, as there were questions about the validity of some of those provided. District Judge Matthew Bone adjourned the trial to Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court on the 18th and 19th of December and the 15th of January 2026. All six accused deny aggravated trespass.
In the UK, aggravated trespass, as defined under Section 68 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, is a criminal offence that occurs when someone trespasses on land and their actions are intended to intimidate, obstruct, or disrupt lawful activity taking place on that or adjoining land. It is widely accepted that this law was passed to deal with Hunt Saboteurs interfering with hunting with dogs before it was banned in 2004.
The activists protested at the slaughterhouse after the undercover footage some of them obtained exposed what they claim is illegal activity at the plant, regarding how the pigs were treated and killed. Joey Carbstrong produced a documentary titled Pignorant with the footage he and others obtained in the slaughterhouse.
Before the trial began, the co-accused were told that the Judge was minded to impose a custodial sentence, which carries a maximum of three months’ imprisonment. According to a press release, when asked what they thought of the prospect of going to prison, one of the accused said: “We are prepared to go to prison; however, we feel that the justice system is warped in that it penalises people for standing up against immoral and illegal practices, while those who perpetrate such practices are not held to account…The vast majority of the general public are horrified to learn the pigs are being gassed in slaughterhouses. Our footage from covert surveillance shows what a horrific method of killing this really is.”
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