The Little Guy who Spoke up for a Hedgehog's Rights
From the Pasiley Gazette in the UK Monday July 16, 2007
» I FEARED I WOULD BE SHOT IN FRONT OF MY LITTLE GIRL (4/7/07) By Irina Nelson
A KEY witness in a shock trial feared he would be gunned down in front of his little girl before he could give evidence.
The man - who cannot be named - called in animal protection enforcers after seeing a hedgehog being beaten to death.
The brave action saw two youths, Anton Sloan and Daniel O’Sullivan, charged with the shocking and brutal offence.
But weeks later, the life of the innocent tradesman was shattered when he heard a loud bang outside his home.
And, to his horror, the image of a youth pointing a gun at his home flickered on his TV screen from CCTV cameras.
The painter and decorator immediately bundled his daughter into an upstairs room and called in Strathclyde Police.
An armed response unit immediately combed the area for the gun man as police constables cordoned off roads.
The victim revealed: “I had already been getting abuse over this case.
“But the worst night had to be when I was getting my daughter ready for bed and I heard this really loud bang.
“I turned on the CCTV and there was this image of a gang of around ten boys hanging around outside.
“And then I suddenly focused on this guy holding a gun - pointing it straight at my house.
“I thought they were coming back to get me because I had called in the SSPCA and the police over this poor wee hedgehog.
“Thankfully, the police got here before anything happened - but it shook up the whole family.”
A spokeswoman from Strathclyde Police HQ in Pitt Street confirmed they had been called to the alleged firearm incident.
But the intimidation did not end there.
It spilled into Paisley Sheriff Court when the case finally went to trial on Friday.
One youth, who police then believed to have been part of a group who attacked the hedgehog, allegedly went on the run to escape giving evidence.
Several other rowdy teenagers did, however, turn up in the public gallery and were almost kicked out by police.
The 41-year-old witness almost begged the sheriff to stop the case as they repeatedly interrupted his testimony.
He said: “It would appear that the major witness to the crime absconded through fear.
“The behaviour of those other boys was so outrageous that I almost asked the sheriff to stop the proceedings.
“They showed no respect whatsoever for a court of law.”
The mob mentality was so bad that he even feared being attacked outside court.
He revealed: “Given the level of intimidation, I had to get a police escort from the court to my car.
“But I know they would never take me on one-on-one because they are cowards.”
But - despite everything - he said he would still defend the right of a defenceless animal.
He said: “I will never forget the sheer brutality of what happened to that defenceless hedgehog.
“But - despite all the threats, the intimidation and the hassle - I would go through it all again.
“Because if people like me don’t - who will?”
• A 15-year-old youth is expected to appear before members of the Children’s Panel over an alleged firearm incident.