Man denies assaulting hunt saboteur in horse 'collision'

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Sam Jones, 34, will stand trial at Leicester Magistrates' Court in November

A man has appeared in court to deny assault after an incident in which a horse "collided" with a hunt saboteur.

Sam Jones was arrested after a woman was struck by the horse in Whissendine, Rutland, in February.

The 34-year-old pleaded not guilty to common assault in a brief appearance before magistrates in Leicester on Friday.

He also denied a separate charge of illegally hunting a wild mammal with a dog.

The assault is alleged to have happened on 11 February, while Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs were filming the Cottesmore Hunt.

The illegal hunting charge relates to an incident in Loddington on 18 February.

Mr Jones, of Cottesmore Road, Ashwell, near Oakham, will stand trial in November.

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