Overview
- A jury at Norwich Crown Court found Rosa Sharkey, Rose Patterson and Sarah Foy guilty of theft following their removal of three lambs from Appleton Farm on the Sandringham Estate, an incident that took place on 24 May 2023.
- The court heard the trio admitted taking the lambs and publicly admitted the act the next day outside Windsor Castle before handing themselves in to police.
- The three defendants were sentenced on 24 September 2026 to 12‑month community orders with 150 hours of unpaid work each and ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs.
- Evidence showed a fourth person drove the animals to an undisclosed sanctuary after the removal and the lambs remain there, while the financial loss to the farm was judged to be modest at about £400–£500.
- The case focused narrowly on the legal test of dishonesty rather than animal‑welfare policy, and its outcome could curb use of 'open rescue' as a defence even as it fuels wider debate between campaigners and farming groups over protest tactics and farm standards.