England This article is more than 4 months oldWoman filmed kicking and slapping horse cleared of animal cruelty
This article is more than 4 months oldSarah Moulds, 39, says she received death threats and family went into hiding after video went viral
A teacher who lost her job after she was filmed kicking and striking a horse has been cleared of animal cruelty.
Sarah Moulds, 39, was found not guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, her grey pony named Bruce Almighty.
She was filmed by a hunt saboteur group striking the animal in Gunby, Lincolnshire, on 6 November 2021 and lost her job as a primary school teacher a month later. She was later prosecuted by the RSPCA under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
After a three-day trial at Lincoln crown court she was cleared by the jury, who had deliberated for more than five hours. Moulds, and several friends and family also in court, wept as the verdict was delivered.
Giving evidence during the trial, Moulds said her life had been “torn to pieces” by the incident, which was viewed millions of times when the video went viral on social media.
“I certainly will never strike a horse, discipline a horse, in that manner because my life has been torn to pieces as a result of that four-second decision,” she said, adding that she had received death threats and been forced to go “into hiding”.
“My intention was to discipline Bruce in the moment so that he does not do it again. There was minimal contact and it was so quick and so short.”
Moulds said she still owned the horse and that he lived an “idyllic life” with her family.
She claimed the pony was standing on a grass verge at the side of the road with a child holding on to its lead rope when it unexpectedly started moving into the road, dragging the child behind.
The child let go of the rope, and when the horse was recaptured by Moulds she kicked it in the chest and struck its face several times.
The equine veterinary surgeon Suzanne Green told the court the horse would have been in pain and fear, and said Moulds’ actions were not “proportionate or appropriate”.
“That horse has got nowhere to go. He’s not fighting back, he’s not hurting her. He’s just trying to get away,” she said.
An examination of the animal on 16 November 2021 showed the horse had “no physical or external injuries” and was “in good health”.
When interviewed by an RSPCA inspector after the incident, Moulds said: “Bruce is a child’s pony and I had left him stood in a safe place with the two children. If I hadn’t chastised him and he continued to behave in this manner, then it would not be appropriate for him to be handled by children.”
Speaking outside court, Moulds said the verdict was “a testament to the importance of due process” and showed “there are two sides to every story”.
She said she and her family had received death threats – including one in a Christmas card delivered to her home – over the incident, claiming in her evidence that her family had to go “into hiding” for several days due to the backlash.
She said: “It is profoundly troubling that, in this digital age, misinformation can spread like wildfire, leading to premature judgments and jeopardising the lives and careers of innocent individuals.
“A snippet of video was taken out of context, and manipulated to paint a picture of me that is entirely at odds with who I am. I adore my animals and have dedicated my life to teaching and nurturing young minds; it was heart-wrenching to be so wrongly and publicly maligned.
“It is crucial to understand that what we see on the internet, especially on platforms like Twitter and Facebook, is often a fragmented version of the truth.
“The jury’s decision today has vindicated me. However, the damage from the last 20 months’ trial by social media is irreversible. “The loss of my career, the hand-delivered death threats to me and my children, and the distress caused to my family cannot be undone.
“My loved ones have had to watch powerlessly as our life has unravelled based on falsehoods.”
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