Activists found guilty of theft of King's lambs
Activists found guilty of theft of King's lambs
Owen Sennitt - at Norwich Crown CourtThu, September 24, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTC
0
(Left to right) Rosa Sharkey, Sarah Foy and Rose Patterson, pictured outside Norwich Crown Court, had denied stealing the lambs
Three animal rights activists have been found guilty of stealing three lambs from the King's Sandringham Estate.
Throughout a three-day trial, Rosa Sharkey, 26, Sarah Foy, 26, and Rose Patterson, 37, insisted they rescued the animals in 2023.
The members of campaign group Animal Rising also said they believed the King "would have consented to their rescue" due to being an "environmentalist".
But a jury, made up of five men and seven women, unanimously found all three defendants guilty of theft at Norwich Crown Court. Sentencing is expected to take place later on Thursday.
The activists posed for a photo with the animals
The theft took place on 23 May 2023, when the trio spent hours in a field at Appleton Farm in Sandringham, to allow the sheep to become acquainted to them.
The court heard they then took three lambs and put them into a van after they came close, and they were driven off to an unknown animal sanctuary.
The following day, the women travelled to Windsor Castle, where they attempted to alert authorities to what they called a "rescue" of the lambs.
Advertisement
They later handed themselves in to Windsor Police Station and were charged with theft.
Videos of the trio taking the lambs were shared on social media
Earlier in the hearing on Thursday, defence barrister Sarah-Jane Ewart, representing Sharkey, insisted the trio had acted "honestly" throughout.
She highlighted their attempt to alert the authorities at Windsor as an example.
"Honesty shines through in all of their conduct after the rescue," Ewart said.
Earlier in the trial, all three defendants detailed how their personal experiences had led them to become involved in animal rights activism, due to concerns about welfare and the environmental impact of agriculture.
The lambs have never been recovered by the authorities but remained alive and well at an unknown sanctuary, the court heard.
Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
-
Theft accused trio claim King's lambs were rescued
Theft-accused trio 'made friends' with King's lambs
Related internet links
-
HM Courts & Tribunal Service
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
