Two hunt stewards allegedly assaulted by man who claimed he was 'convicted murderer'

Two hunt stewards were allegedly assaulted during a rally by an attacker who claimed he was a "convicted murderer".

The incident happened during the Warwickshire Hunt on Wednesday, which members of the West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs and Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch had been demonstrating against.

Footage captured by a hunt steward in an Oxhill field shows her backing away from a grey-haired man wearing glasses, who shouts: "I'll be back in f****** prison. I've just come out now for f****** murder."

He is then alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman, who can be heard screaming: "Get off... do not assault me."

A second female steward steps between them and guides the man away as he continues to shout abuse.

Warwickshire Police said they are investigating the incident, adding: "We were called at 5.26pm on Wednesday to a report of a sexual assault, which had taken place earlier in the day in Oxhill.

"It’s reported two women were touched inappropriately over their clothing at around 1.15pm."

One of the two stewards, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she felt "violated and frightened" by the incident.

Polly Portwin, of The Countryside Alliance, a rural campaigning group, said: "We are incredibly concerned by this footage. Behaviour of this nature is deeply worrying and calls into question the tactics used by groups like this."

A spokeswoman for the hunt said: “This is an unacceptable and regular occurrence for the Warwickshire Hunt and those that follow our hounds, as it is in other parts of the country.

"We have an incredible team who help keep our hounds and horses, our staff and our supporters safe from these dangerous groups.

"Understandably we are very concerned about the escalating and threatening behaviour displayed by these anti-hunting extremists.

"We are very mindful of the women in our team who were attacked and are offering them all the support we can at this time.”

West Midlands Hunt Saboteurs told The Telegraph that the man in the video was not one of their members and said they faced "extreme provocation" as they tried to stop the hunt killing foxes throughout the day.

It added: “The Warwickshire Hunt were ruthless and relentless in their hunting all day."

Cirencester Illegal Hunt Watch did not respond to requests for comment.