A TEENAGE animal rights campaigner sprayed slogans such as “puppy killers” on buildings, a court heard.

Now Luke Beevers, 19, and a fellow protester have been given suspended jail terms over their campaign to persuade two firms to end contracts with an animal research centre.

Beevers, 19, of New Mill Road, Brockholes, and Catherine Parrish had responded to a call on the National Anti Vivisection Alliance website for protests against companies dealing in with Harlan Interfauna.

Jane Stansfield, prosecuting, told Leeds Crown Court yesterday the alliance opposed testing of products on animals while Harlan is licensed to supply such animals to other labs.

Harlan had obtained a court order stopping direct action at its premises so the campaign was directed against firms contracted with them.

Beevers was prosecuted for aggravated trespass after being arrested on a demonstration in 2011 at the headquarters of SRCL, a clinical waste company in Leeds, when he and another protestor chained themselves together blocking the access.

Ms Stansfield said he was on bail for that when he and Parrish committed the offences before the court.

In December 2011 SRCL was warned in a telephone call if it did not pull out of its contract with Harlan there would be “very, very unpleasant consequences for your business.”

On January 6, slogans – “puppy killers” and “blood on your hands” were sprayed on to the walls and door locks filled with superglue.

Focus briefly then turned to the firm of Sunlight which provided laundry service for Harlan, with phone calls before the premises in Leeds were targeted with paint slogans and glue.

Beevers, and Parrish, 28, of Burley, Leeds, both admitted two charges of interfering with the contractual relationship so as to harm an animal research organisation.

Both were given 16 months in prison suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work, a high level activity requirement and ordered to pay £500 compensation each.

Mark Foley for Beevers said he was a young man of principal who believed such tests on animals were acts of cruelty.