A WORCESTERSHIRE animal rights activist has claimed that the drug-testing group Huntingdon Life Sciences is trying to make her homeless by laying the £200,000 cost of an anti-harassment case at her door.

Lynn Sawyer, a midwife based in Evesham, said she would "rather die" than pay the £205,551 HLS has said is owed to them following the court case.

The chief executive of HLS, Brian Cass, is, however, determined to push forward with the case.

"These people have cost our shareholders millions of pounds. They have reached into the pockets of shareholders and taken out their money.

"It is only right that they should be challenged to pay the costs of us getting to a situation where we are forced to provide protection for our staff because of activist activity."

Charging order

Ms Sawyer has sought legal advice over an interim charging order that the company obtained over her property in Boat Lane, Evesham, Worcestershire, this week.

The court will meet next month to decide whether this order, which would entitle Huntingdon to more than £200,000 if the property were sold, will be made final.

Ms Sawyer's house is used as the official address of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty, the main protest group against HLS, although the SHAC said she is no longer actively involved with them.

"This is not just any property," added Mr Cass. "It is the official reference point for all legal documents relating to SHAC."

Ms Sawyer is the only one of the 12 named defendants, in a court case brought by HLS and Mr Cass, to be ordered to pay. This is because other defendants were taking the case to a full trial.

HLS had sought a permanent anti-harassment injunction to protect its employees from what it called a "ruthless and menacing" campaign from animal rights activists.

Instead, in May, Mr Justice Mackay ruled that the activists, who insist that there is no evidence to connect them with criminal activity, had a right to defend themselves against accusations that they had orchestrated a terror campaign against HLS.

There is currently a temporary injunction against those individuals who have requested a full trial.

In the case of Ms Sawyer that injunction has been made permanent because she did not contest it or wish to take the case to a full trial.