AS a man who attacked a hunt monitor begins a prison sentence this week, police have been accused of being soft on hunt-related crime for failing to act on a string of other incidents.

Christopher Marles was given a six-month jail term at Exeter Crown Court on Friday after being in breach of a suspended sentence when he attacked Helen Weeks of West Coker while she was filming the activities of the East Devon Hunt last March. He used his horse to repeatedly barge Mrs Weeks, aged 61, off her feet.

He was already subject to a nine-month sentence, suspended for two years, for an assault on another hunt monitor, Kevin Hill, which left the animal welfare officer with two black eyes and in need of six stitches.

Marles will serve three months for that incident after the suspended sentence was activated, and a further three months for the attack on Ms Weeks.

Sentencing him, Recorder Ros Collins said: "You acted like an arrogant, cowardly, and drunken lout and I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of yourself."

After the verdict, Mrs Weeks said she was shocked at the leniency of the sentence.

She said: "We were all taken aback at how the judge laid into him and then gave him such a lenient sentence."

Mrs Weeks said she is facing an on-going battle with the police and courts to get them to take firmer action on the increasing threat imposed on monitors

and anti hunt campaigners