Teacher sacked over video of her 'kicking and punching horse in the face'
21 December 2021, 06:52 | Updated: 21 December 2021, 10:21
Shocking footage sees woman kick and hit a horse in the face
A primary school teacher has been sacked after 'upsetting' footage of her 'kicking and punching a horse in the face' went viral on social media.
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Sarah Moulds, 37, lost her job at the Mowbray Education Trust in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire after a shocking video of her was condemned by the RSPCA for alleged animal cruelty.
In a statement, chief operating officer of Mowbray Education Trust, Paul Maddox said: "I can confirm that Sarah Moulds' employment with the Trust has been terminated.
"As a Trust we are committed to ensuring the best standard of education for all of our young people and we look forward to continuing this throughout the 2021/22 academic year and beyond."
The video was taken by anti-hunting activists called the Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs and has caused outrage online.
It shows a woman dressed in riding gear hitting out at the animal before putting it in a horsebox.
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The woman appears to be violent with the horse after it cantered into a road during a meeting of the Cottesmore Hunt, one of the oldest hunts in Britain, which said it did not condone what happened "under any circumstances".
The RSPCA previously confirmed the organisation is actively inquiring into what happened stating: "This footage is really upsetting. We will always look into complaints made to us about animal welfare," the organisation said.
"We would urge anyone with first-hand information about this incident to contact us on 0300 123 4999."
Leicestershire Police wad also been made aware of the incident, and confirmed they would assist the RSPCA with its investigation.
The Cottesmore Hunt also said a "thorough internal investigation" had meant a "follower will not participate in trail hunting" with them.
