By Will Bennett
AN animal rights activist travelled around England planting incendiary devices in shops "in the cause of political terrorism", a court was told yesterday.
Barry Horne, 45, started a series of fires on the Isle of Wight which was so serious that firemen had to call in help from the mainland. Two years later he was arrested by detectives who had watched him plant two incendiary devices in a Bristol shopping centre after trailing him for a month.
The devices in Bristol were the same design as those in the Isle of Wight attacks, Ian Glen, QC, prosecuting, said at Bristol Crown Court. "The risks and dangers to human life were blindingly obvious and the risks were either run or ignored for the sake of political beliefs," he said.
Horne, unemployed, from Northampton, denies four charges of arson, one of possessing articles with intent to damage property and six of attempted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered. He admits two alternative charges of attempted arson and two of possessing articles with intent to damage property.
Mr Glen told the jury: "In the summer of 1994, shops in Newport and Ryde on the Isle of Wight were blitzed by fire in the cause of political terrorism. The object of the exercise was to promote the cause of animal rights by targeting shops which in some way were seen to act contrary to the interests of animals."
Targets included a fishing tackle shop, Boots the Chemists, Halfords the motoring accessories store and a Cancer Research shop. Although not all the devices went off, considerable damage was caused.
One of the failed devices was not discovered until four months later by a Mrs Woods who had bought a leather bag in which it had been hidden in a shop by Horne.
Not knowing that it contained the device made from a packet of cigarettes, Mrs Woods took the bag away with her on a trip and let her children, aged three and six, play with it. Police on the Isle of Wight issued a description of a man with bad teeth who was seen wearing a motorcyclist's jacket near the shops before the incendiary attacks.
Five months later police went to an accommodation address where Horne was staying in Swindon, Wilts. Horne refused to answer questions but officers found a wig, a motorcyclist's jacket, six packets of Superkings cigarettes and an article possibly intended for publication.
The article referred to 1994 as "a year in which we fought back and inflicted losses on animal abusers" and spoke of "scoring hits in high street stores".
Horne was not arrested on that occasion but by the summer of 1996 he was being kept under surveillance by detectives from the South East Regional Crime Squad when he arrived in Bristol in July.
After his arrest, the address he had been renting in a false name in Birmingham was searched and six more devices were found ready and waiting.
The case continues.
By Will Bennett
AN Animal Liberation Front firebomber was convicted yesterday of an arson campaign that caused £3 million damage and almost burned down a shopping centre.
Barry Horne raised his fist in a salute to supporters after a jury found him guilty of burning down shops in the Isle of Wight and attempting to do the same in Bristol. Police believe that Horne was one of the most militant and dangerous members of the ALF and was prepared to put lives at risk.
Bristol Crown Court was told that Horne, 45, from Northampton, travelled around England planting incendiary devices in shops "in the cause of political terrorism". In 1994, he started a series of fires on the Isle of Wight that caused £3 million damage and were so severe that firemen had to call in help from the mainland.
Two years later he was arrested by detectives who had seen him plant incendiary devices in the Broadmead shopping centre, Bristol, after trailing him for more than a month. The prosecution said the Bristol firebombs, contained in cigarette packets, were identical to those used in the Isle of Wight attacks.
The jury convicted Horne of four counts of arson, five of attempted arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and one of possessing articles with intent to damage property.
Horne, who claims unemployment benefit but is a full-time animal rights activist, had pleaded guilty to two alternative counts of attempted arson and two of possessing articles with intent to damage property.
The jury acquitted him of one charge of attempted arson at the store in the Broadmead shopping centre where he was arrested. The case was adjourned until Dec 5 to allow for pre-sentence reports.
Horne chose not to give evidence and no witnesses were called for the defence, although the court was told that he had not intended to harm anyone.
After the case, Det Chief Inspector Roy Lambert, who headed the investigation, said: "He is a very dangerous and ruthless man absolutely committed to his cause. We are very pleased at the verdict.
"We believe that we have saved Bristol and other cities from horrendous firebombing campaigns. He never gave a moment's thought about any loss of life that may have occurred."
By John Steele, Crime Correspondent
ANIMAL rights extremists have threatened to murder 10 people they identify as vivisectionists if Barry Horne, a convicted arsonist on hunger strike, dies and becomes the movement's first "martyr".
The threat, from the Animal Rights Militia, was issued yesterday by the Animal Liberation Front. The press release reads: "The militant Animal Rights Militia has announced a list of 10 vivisectors who, it says, will be assassinated if animal liberation hunger striker Barry Horne dies through Labour's broken promises."
Supporters of Horne, who is serving 18 years in prison, claim that the Government has reneged on pledges on animal welfare and said he will end his fast if the Home Office announces a date for setting up a Royal Commission. The Government has said it will not act in the face of blackmail.
Horne was said last night to be deteriorating in a hospital in York 57 days after he refused food in his third hunger strike since his conviction last year. His organs have begun to fail and he may slip into a coma. He has said he does not want medical assistance.
The Militia named four of its 10 targets as Christopher Brown, of Hillgrove Farm in Oxfordshire, which breeds cats for experimentation; Prof Colin Blakemore, of Oxford University; Clive Page, of King's College, London, and Dr Mark Matfield, of the Research Defence Society.
All four, who have long been under threat by animal rights extremists, were alerted by Metropolitan Police Special Branch officers of the Militia's communication. Last week Special Branch warned police forces around Britain of the danger of increased violence if Horne died and became a "martyr".
Dr Matfield said he had been a target for eight years, though he had not done laboratory work for 15 years and had never worked on animals in Britain. But the RDS represented bodies in medical research and "answered the anti-vivisection movement".
He said: "Three of the four they have named [himself, Prof Blakemore and Mr Page] are high profile spokesmen for the medical research community on this issue." He said: "You get threats like this all the time."
Horne claimed that his string of fire-bomb attacks on high street shops were "political terrorism".