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Grave suspect condemns theft of body
Oct 16 2004
By Emily Andrews, The Birmingham Post
The animals rights protester arrested in connection with the theft of an 82-year-old woman's body from a graveyard protested his innocence yesterday and condemned the desecration.
John Curtin, who has been released without charge on police bail, described the removal of Gladys Hammond's remains as a "sick" act which could only prove counter-productive to the animal rights cause.
The 41-year-old, who has a history of animal rights activism, said: "I haven't spoken to any animal rights person that has said a good word about this.
"What good can it do? It's got nothing going for it and I think it's disgusting."
Mr Curtin also questioned why the police had smashed down the door of his tower block home in Hillfields, Coventry, to effect his arrest early on Thursday.
"If they had knocked on the door I would have let them in," he added.
A second man arrested on Thursday, aged 34, was taken into custody in Wolverhampton, but he has also been freed pending further inquires.
Mrs Hammond, who died in 1997, had family connections to Darley Oaks Farm in New-church, Staffordshire, where guinea pigs are bred for medical research.
Her body was removed from the cemetery at St Peter's Church in Yoxall, Staffordshire, under cover of darkness last week.
Those who work at the farm and with connections to it have been subjected to a long-running campaign by animal rights activists, suffering hate mail, malicious phone calls, hoax bombs, a paedophile smear campaign and arson attacks.
Mr Curtin stressed that he was totally opposed to the breeding programme at Darley Oaks and that he was proud of belonging to the animal rights movement.
But he added: "This offence will just further help to blacken our name and I have no idea who has done it."
