Vegan activist who kidnapped pig: I have no regrets
AIVEGAN activist who stole a farmer’s pig to save it from slaughter has vowed: I have no regrets.
That is despite Wesley Omar, a man who has mounted a string of animal rights vigils across the Midlands, being dragged before the courts and losing his lucrative job as a broker.
Speaking to the Birmingham Post, the 23-year-old said: “There are no regrets for what I have done.
“There has been more positivity from this than negativity. If it had come to it, I would’ve gone to jail.”
The high-profile case has become something of a cause célèbre among those opposed to eating meat. They gathered outside Leicester Crown Court, brandishing banners bearing such slogans as, “Animals are friends, not food.”
They were already aware of Omar’s vigilantism. The internet is littered with videos of his acts, many of them carried out in the West Midlands. In one video shot in the Midlands he is seen next to a transporter packed with sheep, where he rails against their predicament.
But all other stunts have been eclipsed by the theft of the pig from a Leicestershire farm.
He placed the animal in his vehicle and calmed it with Elvis Presley songs. A video shows the pig being serenaded with Just Can’t Help Believing.
In a video of the raid, Omar can be seen apologising to livestock at the farm and telling the camera: “It’s so heart-breaking to see individuals in these sort of conditions.” He also recites a poem. One of the most bizarre aspects of the case is the fact that Omar was unwittingly rumbled by American chart-topper Moby.
He shared a video of the pig, which is now at an animal sanctuary and called Wilbur. That led to a local farmer recognising the abducted porker.
Despite the drama and indignation outside court, air of Judge Nicholas Dean QC told Omar: “Your acts were extremely childish. I accept you were doing it for a cause you believe in, but to act unlawfully for a cause is a criminal offence.”
The high-profile vegan admitted stealing the pig last July and was sentenced to a 12-month community order with 100 hours unpaid work.
“My bosses have pretty much sacked me,” he says. “But I’ve been offered a place at Derby University studying psychology.
“The reaction from those involved in the case has been pretty varied.
“Those who knocked on my door and arrested me were pretty hostile, but I feel the majority understood.
“The judge has to follow guidelines. My mum always supports me – she’s an avid animal lover. I feel blessed I’m in a position to project positivity over the whole issue.”
Omar, from the hamlet of Edith Weston, Rutland, added: “I became a vegan three years ago. Before that, I was consuming meat and not questioning it, then I realised there are all these alternatives. I classified myself as an animal lover, yet I was blindly consuming these animals.
“Now, others are willing to and question themselves.”
But Omar stresses: “I don’t think I’ll be breaking the law any time soon.”
The raided farm has now spent £6,000 on beefing up security. Meanwhile, Wilbur the pig, valued at just £50, cannot be returned to the Melton Mowbray because of contamination fears. listen