YouTube animal rights activist ends up in court after he stole farmer's pig to save it from slaughter

A YouTube animal rights activist was taken to court for stealing a a farmer's pig to save it from the slaughter. 

Wesley Omar swiped the pig from Belmont Farm in Leicestershire before sitting it in the footwell of the passenger seat of his car and played an Elvis Presley song to soothe it. 

The 23-year-old filmed the theft and posted it on YouTube and Facebook to encourage people to question whether or not they need to eat meat. 

A subsequent video of the stolen pig being re-homed was shared by American musician Moby, which subsequently led to a farmer at the Pickwell pig farm near Melton spotting it and reporting Omar. 

The pig he stole is now named Wilbur and is living at an animal sanctuary due to the farmer not being able to take it back due to contamination risks. 

Omar can be heard repeatedly apologising to the animals for their plight and describing them as "intelligent" and "innocent" beings.

Talking to the camera, he says: "It's so heart-breaking to see individuals in these sort of conditions." He also recited a poem about animal suffering.

Omar, a former meat-eater who turned vegan three years ago, is seen in the footage taking the pig across fields to his car and driving away with it, whilst playing Elvis Presley's I Just Can't Help Believing on the radio.

Outside Leicester Crown Court, Omar who was accompanied by friends and fellow activists, said: "The pig I took was grunting a bit in the car and needed calming down, so I put the radio on and it seemed to work.

"I wasn't planning to steal him, it just happened at the last minute and I took the nearest pig - I couldn't take them all.

"I know I broke the law, which was wrong, but at least I saved a life.

"I rang someone I knew at a sanctuary and took the pig straight there - I didn't take it home, my mother would have had a fit."

Judge Nicholas Dean QC said: "I accept you were doing it for a cause you believe in, but to act unlawfully for a cause is a criminal offence.

"You may feel you achieved something by the video being aired in this court and the publicity."

The judge said Omar was entitled to express his beliefs but not through criminal activity, which interfered with the rights of the farmer, who had incurred loss through the £6,000 cost of upgrading security.

He told Omar: "Your acts were extremely childish."

James Armstrong-Holmes, mitigating, said: "His intentions were somewhat humane.

"The pig is at a sanctuary and will live its life fully.

"It can't be taken back as there's a potential risk of contamination.

"He lost his job as an investment broker.

"He now plans to study psychology at the University of Derby.

"He doesn't intend to do anything like this again and intends to focus on his studies."

The 23-year-old, who lost his job as an investment broker as a result of the case, pleaded guilty to theft of the three-month-old pig in July last year.

Footage of the incident was also shown to the judge, who sentenced him to a 12-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work.