Hunt member who hit protester with riding crop fined

A man who hit an anti-hunt protester with a riding crop has been fined.

Northamptonshire Police said Mark Ferguson was on a hunt in a field in Clipston Road, Market Harborough, on 19 October 2019 when his group became involved in a row with activists.

The 49-year-old, from Skeffington in Leicestershire, was found guilty of actual bodily harm and criminal damage.

He was ordered to pay £2,125 after a hearing at Northampton Magistrates' Court on 10 March.

Police said during an "altercation", Ferguson approached a woman in her 50s from behind on his horse, pulled her up by the back of her collar and hit her on the head with his riding crop.