A dramatic courtroom showdown is unfolding in England as activists who openly rescued beagle puppies from a breeding facility in 2022 face criminal charges that could land them in prison for up to a decade. The trial, now underway at Cambridge Crown Court, pits the legal definition of “theft” against an emotionally charged public question: Is it a crime to save a life?

Ben Newman, one of the defendants, explained his motivation in a statement to police: “I rescued as many beautiful beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell.” He and a total of 17 others from the organization Animal Rising (who will be tried in several groups) are accused of rescuing 20 dogs from MBR Acres, a licensed Cambridgeshire facility that breeds beagles for animal testing. 2 dogs were caught by authorities and returned to the facility, sparking widespread outrage. Prosecutors allege it was a “planned operation,” but the defendants insist it was an act of conscience—an “open rescue” conducted without masks, filmed for transparency, and later reported to authorities as they voluntarily turned themselves in.

Inside the facility, video shown in court revealed rows of puppies confined in metal cages, some “whimpering and pressing against the sides,” according to trial coverage. Activists, wearing t-shirts that said “What would you do if this was your dog?” were seen cradling and kissing the dogs as they passed them over fences to safety. “If you see what conditions they live in… when you smell their feces… they are brought up to die in animal testing,” said co-defendant Hannah Hunt.

The defense centers not on denying their actions, but on the belief that they acted honestly and compassionately. English law requires the prosecution to prove they behaved “dishonestly.” But as attorney Greta Fiedler notes, “An ordinary and decent person” must judge their conduct. That’s a standard the defendants welcome.

The facility, MBR Acres, insists it operates legally, under Home Office inspection. The company is invited on any time to respond further. Outside the breeding facility, the protest camp known as “Camp Beagle” has become a permanent symbol of resistance—active for over four years. The defendants argue their actions aimed to expose a hidden reality that the public would not support if fully informed.

The prosecutor declared, “It my be uncomfortable for you think of dogs as goods, but they are, in this case, goods.” That is the mentality activists are challenging. Are sentient beings mere property? They say no. These activists want to put animal testing on trial.

This is more than a burglary trial—it’s a referendum on compassion, transparency, and the rights of animals in the 21st century.

Now, join UnchainedTV host Jane Velez-Mitchell, Action Hour’s Lindsey Baker, anti-vivisection activist Hoorik Telle and from England, Plant CEO Anant Joshi and reporter Claudia Penna Rojas at the courthouse.