CONVICTED (2022) | Alexander Giovanni Warren aka AJ Carter, born 17 September 1987, of Daryngton House, Hartington Road, Vauxhall, London SW8 2HR – hit a police horse during a demonstration.
Former professional boxer Alexander Warren was part of an anti-Covid vaccination rally outside Newcastle upon Tyne civic centre in August 2021 when he struck a police horse called Patronus on the backside. It was alleged that he threatened to knock the horse out. He was also accused of slapping another horse named Penelope on the face after telling her rider to “get that fucking horse out of my face”.
Giving evidence, Sgt Coates, who was riding Patronus, told the court he was at the top of Northumberland Street with three other mounted officers when the protest turned “particularly threatening” and they made their way over to the green in front of the Civic Centre, opposite Percy Street. He described Warren having a megaphone and goading the crowd to follow him to try and break the police line.
Sgt Coates continued: “The defendant was trying to get past me and Patronus. When he walked past he threatened to knock Patronus out. He then assaulted the horse. He hit Patronus’s back end, to the left hand side, with his flat hand.”
Sgt Coates said Patronus reacted by being startled and anxious and he had to concentrate on keeping her stationary. When asked what he thought Warren’s intention was by hitting the horse, the officer said: “I think he intended for the horse to bolt with me on it.”
Also giving evidence was PC Adair, the rider of Penelope, who Warren allegedly targeted next.
She told the court that she first noticed Warren when he was inciting the crowd to break the line of police officers, who were stood behind her.
PC Adair added: “I bent down and said to the defendant that he couldn’t go that way. The horse turned her head at the same time and the defendant got more agitated and shoved the horses face and said “Get your fucking horse away from me.
“He didn’t stop, he carried on walking. At that point, [another officer] on a horse called Pluto got hold of the defendant’s rucksack to try and get him detained.”
The court heard that a crowd then encircled Pluto and Warren managed to wriggle free and flee. He was, however, later arrested.
Asked how Penelope reacted when allegedly struck by Warren, PC Adair said: “She was startled and taken aback. When you raise your hand quickly at a horse, it doesn’t matter how much training you give them, they will always get a fright.”
Giving evidence, Warren said the police horse was being made to walk in front of him to block his path.
He said that police horse Patronus had “pecked” his head several times and said he was “shocked” by what he described as an “attack” on him, but denied that he had lost control of his emotions and temper before the incident.
He said: “It was quite a shocking incident because the horse was pecking my head. I was being attacked and felt aggrieved and wanted to get out of the situation. Every time I tried to get out of the situation he [the officer] was making the horse step one side in front of me.
“I stepped to my right and pushed the horse’s hip and bum area to get the horse and officer away from me to get past the horse.”
Warren said that on a scale of one to 10 he used a level four of force in doing so.
The defendant said he had travelled to protest with intention of “raising awareness” and to act “peacefully”. He denied organising the protest but said he wanted to direct the crowd to a safer area.
Warren admitted making contact with Patronus but claims it was a push and it didn’t cause the horse any suffering or distress. He denied making any contact with Penelope and this appears to have been accepted by the court.
On Friday 4 November 2022 Warren appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court via video-link from HMP Belmarsh to be sentenced for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal in relation to Patronus.
During the sentencing, Ms Malkinson said Warren had five previous convictions for nine offences, none of which were relevant.
The court was told that he is currently on remand at HMP Belmarsh for other matters.
Sentencing Warren, District Judge Paul Currer, said he “slapped the backside of the horse” and behaved “particularly aggressively in motivating the crowd around you”.
He said Warren approached Patronus as other police told him to move back and “struck it on its hind quarters”.
He added: “It was a deliberate action to escalate things, largely led by you and your bad behaviour.”
Sentencing | jailed for 12 weeks; £128 victim surcharge and £620 costs.
