Episode
Criminal Trials, Restrictions on Protest, and Good News for Some
- Podcast
- Animal Rights: the Debate
- Published
- Jan 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2326
- Processing state
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Summary
Animals have the status of objects in law, and so a dog is the property of his/her owner. Surely then, breaking into the owner's premises and taking the owner's dog without consent must then constitute theft? Not necessarily so. At Cambridge Crown Court recently, a jury found that defendants had not acted dishonestly in removing [some might say rescuing] beagles from MBR, a breeding facility where the dogs would be used in medical research. We consider some of the legal issues arising out of the two trials that have taken place, each with a different outcome. We also discuss the amendment to legislation that will make it a criminal offence to interfere with the use or operation of an animal research facility, and the prospect of a legal challenge to the legality of such a provision. We also acknowledge the contribution of the late Brigitte Bardot, the first celebrity to champion the cause of animal rights at a time else when no other public figure seemed to care.