Emily Norton

A former teacher has been charged with animal cruelty over a viral video of a horse being punched and kicked in Lincolnshire.

Footage of the incident on November 6 at Gunby, Lincolnshire was filmed by anti-hunt group Hertfordshire Hunt Saboteurs and has been viewed more than two million times online.

It showed members of the Cottesmore Hunt in Leicestershire, and includes an upsetting attack on a grey pony named Bruce.

A woman can be seen in the video kicking and hitting the horse.

Sarah Moulds, 37, was dismissed by Mowbray Education Trust last month.

She will appear at Boston Magistrates’ Court at 11am on Monday, January 31, accused of two offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

The video was investigated by the RSPCA, and was condemned by a number of celebrities including animal lover Ricky Gervais and TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham.

The Lincoln Sports Direct Gym at Witham Park House is set to close permanently this week.

Members of the gym were informed via email that the facility would close at the end of the day on Wednesday, January 26, and would not be reopening.

The gym was the last of the Sports Direct branded fitness facilities in the city, following the closure of the Weaver Road branch in May 2021.

Those registered with the company were told their membership had been transferred to their sister club – Everlast Gyms on Tritton Road.

Everlast Gyms is due to undergo a significant refurbishment, they told them.

Sports Direct Fitness informed members: “If you do not wish to have your membership transferred across, you can cancel your membership immediately and free of charge by sending an email to our cancellations team ([email protected]) before February 28 2022.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your ongoing support and cannot wait to welcome you to our Tritton Road gym in the near future.”

Meanwhile, the branch’s website and social media pages do not show signs that a closure is imminent.

In recent days, social media promotions encouraging members to ‘refer a friend’ have also created some confusion.

The Lincolnite contacted Sports Direct Fitness, but did not receive a reply before publication.